title: Quercetin and rutin as potential agents antifungal against Cryptococcus spp.
abstract: Amphotericin B is a fungicidal substance that is treatment of choice for most systemic fungal infections affecting as cryptococcosis the immunocompromised patients. However, severe side effects have limited the utility of this drug. The aim of this study was to evaluate the antifungal effect of the combination of amphotericin B with quercetin or rutin and as a protective of citotoxic effect. The antifungal activity to amphotericin B, quercetin and rutin alone and in combination was determined in Candida sp and Cryptococcus neoformans strains. Cytotoxicity test on erythrocytes was performed by spectrophotometric absorbance of hemoglobin. The amphotericin B MIC was reduced when used in combination with quercetin or rutin to C. neoformans ATCC strain and reduced when combined with rutin to a clinical isolate of C. neoformans. In addition, the combination of quercetin with amphotericin B may reduce the toxicity of amphotericin B to red blood cells. Our results suggest that quercetin and rutin are potential agents to combine with amphotericin B in order to reduce the amphotericin dose to lessen side effects and improve antifungal efficacy.
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Virologia, Programa de Pós-graduação em Ciências Farmacêuticas, Departamento de Farmácia, Universidade Estadual do Centro-Oeste - UNICENTRO, Rua Simeão Camargo Varelá de Sá, 03, CEP 85040-080, Guarapuava, PR, Brazil.
authors.forename: V M
authors.initials: VM
authors.lastname: Oliveira
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Virologia, Programa de Pós-graduação em Ciências Farmacêuticas, Departamento de Farmácia, Universidade Estadual do Centro-Oeste - UNICENTRO, Rua Simeão Camargo Varelá de Sá, 03, CEP 85040-080, Guarapuava, PR, Brazil.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Carraro
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Pesquisa em Fungos Patogênicos, Departamento de Farmácia, Universidade Estadual do Centro-Oeste - UNICENTRO, Rua Simeão Camargo Varelá de Sá, 03, CEP 85040-080, Guarapuava, PR, Brazil.
authors.forename: M E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Auler
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Nanotecnologia Farmacêutica, Programa de Pós-graduação em Ciências Farmacêuticas, Departamento de Farmácia, Universidade Estadual do Centro-Oeste - UNICENTRO, Rua Simeão Camargo Varelá de Sá, 03, CEP 85040-080, Guarapuava, PR, Brazil.
authors.forename: N M
authors.initials: NM
authors.lastname: Khalil
mesh_terms: D000666:Amphotericin B / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000935:Antifungal Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002175:Candida / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000254:growth & development; D003455:Cryptococcus neoformans / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000254:growth & development; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D011794:Quercetin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D012431:Rutin / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D000935:Antifungal Agents; D012431:Rutin; D000666:Amphotericin B; D011794:Quercetin