neoglycyrol and Candidiasis--Cutaneous

In this study, we investigated the anti-fungal activity of glycyrol, a coumarine isolated from licorice (Glycyrrhizae Radix), in a murine model of cutaneous candidiasis caused by Candida albicans. Compared to the infected sites, located on the mice's back, of the untreated control mice, the infected sites treated with glycyrol had reduced CFU (colony forming unit) values up to 60 and 85.5 % at 20 and 40 μg/mouse of glycyrol, respectively (P < 0.01). The antifungal activity of glycyrol was synergistically increased when glycyrol (10 μg/mouse) was combined with fluconazole (10 μg/mouse), demonstrating that the combination therapy is approximately 4 times more effective than fluconazole alone at 20 μg/mouse (P < 0.01). Additionally, the combination activity was 1.65 times greater than the antifungal activity of fluconazole alone at 40 μg/mouse (P < 0.05). In seeking glycyrol's antifungal mechanism, we determined that glycyrol inhibited hyphal induction and cell wall adherence of C. albicans. Thus, it is very likely that, by damaging the cell wall, glycyrol helps fluconazole invade C. albicans more readily and attack fluconazole's target in the fungus membrane. In summary, our data indicate that glycyrol may contribute to the development of a novel agent that possesses antifungal activity against cutaneous candidiasis.

Topics: Animals; Antifungal Agents; Candida albicans; Candidiasis, Cutaneous; Cell Wall; Drug Synergism; Drug Therapy, Combination; Female; Flavonoids; Fluconazole; Mice; Mice, Inbred BALB C