title: In vitro activity of verapamil alone and in combination with fluconazole or tunicamycin against Candida albicans biofilms.
abstract: Calcium channels and pumps play important roles in morphogenesis, stress response and virulence in Candida albicans. We hypothesised that verapamil, a potent calcium channel blocker, may display an inhibitory effect on C. albicans biofilms. To test this hypothesis, the in vitro activity of verapamil was evaluated alone and in combination with fluconazole or tunicamycin against C. albicans biofilms using a 96-well microtitre plate model. As expected, verapamil exerted inhibitory activity against C. albicans biofilms. The combinations of verapamil/fluconazole and verapamil/tunicamycin yielded synergistic effects on biofilm formation and on pre-formed biofilms. Furthermore, verapamil alone or in combination with fluconazole or tunicamycin led to a significant decrease in the transcription level of ALS3, essential for biofilm development. Therefore, verapamil may be a potential agent to enhance the effect of antifungal drugs against C. albicans biofilms.
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Molecular Microbiology and Technology, Ministry of Education, Department of Microbiology, Nankai University, Tianjin, PR China.
authors.forename: Qilin
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: Xiaohui
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Ding
authors.forename: Ning
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Xinxin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Cheng
authors.forename: Kefan
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Qian
authors.forename: Biao
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Laijun
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Xing
authors.forename: Mingchun
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D000935:Antifungal Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D018441:Biofilms / Q000187:drug effects*; D002176:Candida albicans / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D004357:Drug Synergism; D015725:Fluconazole / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006801:Humans; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D014415:Tunicamycin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D014700:Verapamil / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D000935:Antifungal Agents; D014415:Tunicamycin; D015725:Fluconazole; D014700:Verapamil