title: Antifungal activity of chitooligosaccharides against the dermatophyte Trichophyton rubrum.
abstract: Antifungal activity against the dermatophytic fungus Trichophyton rubrum by a well-characterized chitooligosaccharides (COS) sample, hydrolyzed using a recombinant chitosanase, was investigated in vitro and in vivo. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of COS ranged between 0.25 and 0.50%, which was measured using a microdilution method. Analysis of inhibition rates using an agar diffusion method showed that treatment with 0.5% and 1% COS significantly suppressed T. rubrum cell growth (p<0.05 and p<0.01, respectively, in comparison with untreated control). Morphological changes and structural alterations of cells were observed by TEM. In vivo efficacy of COS in treatment of T. rubrum dermatophytosis was evaluated using a guinea pig model. Skin lesion scores revealed a strong, dose-dependent therapeutic effect of COS. The 5% COS group showed a reduction of skin lesions even greater than that of the positive control group treated with 1% fluconazole (FCZ). Histological analysis revealed no inflammation or tissue destruction in the groups treated with 5% COS or 1% FCZ. Hyperkeratosis was also observed, perhaps resulting from a defensive response of the tissue cells to COS. The findings indicate that COS has excellent potential for development of novel antifungal drugs for clinical treatment/remission of dermatophytoses.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, No. 1 Shizishan Street, Hongshan District, Wuhan 430070, PR China.
authors.forename: Yu-xia
authors.initials: YX
authors.lastname: Mei
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, No. 1 Shizishan Street, Hongshan District, Wuhan 430070, PR China.
authors.forename: Xing-yi
authors.initials: XY
authors.lastname: Dai
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, No. 1 Shizishan Street, Hongshan District, Wuhan 430070, PR China.
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, No. 1 Shizishan Street, Hongshan District, Wuhan 430070, PR China.
authors.forename: Xiong-wei
authors.initials: XW
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, No. 1 Shizishan Street, Hongshan District, Wuhan 430070, PR China. Electronic address: lyxhzau@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Yun-xiang
authors.initials: YX
authors.lastname: Liang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000935:Antifungal Agents / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002686:Chitin / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D048271:Chitosan; D006168:Guinea Pigs; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D009844:Oligosaccharides; D014005:Tinea / Q000188:drug therapy; D014249:Trichophyton / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D000935:Antifungal Agents; D009844:Oligosaccharides; C493484:oligochitosan; D002686:Chitin; D048271:Chitosan
keywords: Anti-dermatophytic activity; Antifungal activity; Chitooligosaccharides (COS); Guinea pig; Trichophyton rubrum