Assessment of Plant Lectin Antifungal Potential Against Yeasts of Major Importance in Medical Mycology

• Published in: Mycopathologia (1975) Vol. 175; no. 1-2; pp. 147 - 151
• Main Authors: Klafke, Gabriel Baracy, Moreira, Gustavo Marçal Schmitt Garcia, Monte, Leonardo Garcia, Pereira, Juliano Lacava, Brandolt, Tchana Martinez, Xavier, Melissa Orzechowski, Santi-Gadelha, Tatiane, Dellagostin, Odir Antonio, da Silva Pinto, Luciano
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Dordrecht Springer Netherlands 01.02.2013; Springer; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Analysis; Antifungal agents; Antifungal Agents - isolation & purification; Antifungal Agents - pharmacology; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Drugs; Eukaryotic Microbiology; Fungi - drug effects; Infections; Lectins; Lectins - isolation & purification; Lectins - pharmacology; Life Sciences; Medical Microbiology; Microbial Ecology; Microbial Sensitivity Tests; Microbial Viability - drug effects; Microbiology; Plant lectins; Plant Sciences; Plants - chemistry; Prescribing; Proteins; Yeast; Brazil; Lectin; Yeast diseases; Candida sp
• ISSN: 0301-486X; 1573-0832
• DOI: 10.1007/s11046-012-9596-x

The search for new compounds with antifungal activity is accelerating due to rising yeast and fungal resistance to commonly prescribed drugs. Among the molecules being investigated, plant lectins can be highlighted. The present work shows the potential of six plant lectins which were tested in vitro against yeasts of medical importance, Candida albicans, Candida tropicalis , Candida parapsilosis , Cryptococcus gattii , Cryptococcus neoformans , Malassezia pachydermatis , Rhodotorula sp. and Trichosporon sp. Broth microdilution susceptibility testing was performed in accordance with standard protocols to evaluate antifungal activity. Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) was determined at 80 % yeast growth inhibition, whereas the minimum fungicidal concentration (MFC) was evaluated after making the subcultures of each dilution. Only C. parapsilosis growth was inhibited by the lectins tested. Abelmoschus esculentus lectin showed the highest MIC (0.97 μg ml −1 ). Lectins from Canavalia brasiliensis , Mucuna pruriens and Clitoria fairchildiana presented the highest MFC at (3.90 μg ml −1 ). These results encourage further studies with wider yeast strain selections, and open new perspectives for the development of pharmacological molecules.