Lactoferrin Helps Overcome Drug-Resistant Candida Biofilms

Byron's Comments:

A key issue in maintaining Candida in a state of proper balance.

Study Title:

Inhibition of Hyphal Growth of Azole-Resistant Strains of Candida albicans by Triazole Antifungal Agents in the Presence of Lactoferrin-Related Compounds

Study Abstract:

The effects of bovine lactoferrin (LF) or the LF-derived antimicrobial peptide lactoferricin B (LFcin B) on the growth of Candida albicans hyphae, including those of three azole-resistant strains, were investigated by a crystal violet staining method. The hyphae of two highly azole-resistant strains were more susceptible to inhibition by LF or LFcin B than the azole-susceptible strains tested. One moderately azole-resistant strain was defective in the formation of hyphae and showed a susceptibility to LF greater than that of the susceptible strains but a susceptibility to LFcin B similar to that of the susceptible strains. The highly azole-resistant strain TIMM3317 showed trailing growth in the presence of fluconazole or itraconazole, while the extent of growth was reduced by the addition of LF or LFcin B at a sub-MIC. Thus, the addition of LF or LFcin B at a sub-MIC resulted in a substantial decrease in the MICs of fluconazole and itraconazole for two highly azole-resistant strains; e.g., the MIC of fluconazole for TIMM3317 was shifted from >256 to 0.25 µg/ml by LF, but the MICs were not decreased for the susceptible strains. The combination effects observed with triazoles and LF-related compounds in the case of the two highly azole-resistant strains were confirmed to be synergistic by the fractional inhibitory concentration index. These results demonstrate that for some azole-resistant C. albicans strains, LF-related compounds combined with triazoles can inhibit the growth of hyphae, an important form of this organism in pathogenesis

Study Information:

Hiroyuki Wakabayashi, Shigeru Abe, Susumu Teraguchi, Hirotoshi Hayasawa, and Hideyo Yamaguchi. Inhibition of Hyphal Growth of Azole-Resistant Strains of Candida albicans by Triazole Antifungal Agents in the Presence of Lactoferrin-Related Compounds Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy 1998 July p. 1587-1591, Vol. 42, No. 7
Nutritional Science Laboratory, Morinaga Milk Industry Co., Ltd., Zama, Kanagawa 228-8583, and Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Teikyo University School of Medicine, Itabashi-ku, Tokyo 173-8605, Japan.

Full Study:

http://aac.asm.org/cgi/content/full/42/7/1587?ijkey=8aa1c7187949b6cf55571518ca870f325616e4ad

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