Antifungal activity of polyphenolic compounds against fluconazole-susceptible and -resistant Candida species

Background and Objectives: The rapid emergence of resistant fungi is occurring worldwide, and this crisis has been attributed to the lack of new antifungal drug development. This issue emphasizes the need for innovation in finding novel antifungals. There is an increasing interest in using the natu...

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Main Authors: Harmed Fakhim, Bahar Mohamadi, Shima Gharibi, Medhi Rahimmalek, Mahnaz Hosseini Rizi, Mahsa Shelerangkon, Elahe Nasri, Fariba Dorostkar, Antoni Szumny, Afsane Vaezi
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Tehran University of Medical Sciences 2025-04-01
Series:Iranian Journal of Microbiology
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Online Access:https://ijm.tums.ac.ir/index.php/ijm/article/view/4948
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author Harmed Fakhim
Bahar Mohamadi
Shima Gharibi
Medhi Rahimmalek
Mahnaz Hosseini Rizi
Mahsa Shelerangkon
Elahe Nasri
Fariba Dorostkar
Antoni Szumny
Afsane Vaezi
author_facet Harmed Fakhim
Bahar Mohamadi
Shima Gharibi
Medhi Rahimmalek
Mahnaz Hosseini Rizi
Mahsa Shelerangkon
Elahe Nasri
Fariba Dorostkar
Antoni Szumny
Afsane Vaezi
author_sort Harmed Fakhim
collection DOAJ
description Background and Objectives: The rapid emergence of resistant fungi is occurring worldwide, and this crisis has been attributed to the lack of new antifungal drug development. This issue emphasizes the need for innovation in finding novel antifungals. There is an increasing interest in using the natural products of plants with high biological activity as alternatives to synthetic drugs. This study aimed to evaluate the possible applicability of polyphenols as alternative antifungal drugs to treat resistant Candida infections. Materials and Methods: A panel of fluconazole-resistant (n=14) and fluconazole-susceptible (n=26) clinical Candida isolates was obtained from the reference culture collection. The determination of the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of fluconazole, tannic acid, rosmarinic acid, gallic acid, chlorogenic acid, caffeic, ferulic, and p-coumaric was carried out following the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) guidelines. Results: The MIC values of 40 Candida species isolates ranged from 0.25 to >64 µg/mL for polyphenolic compounds. The highest inhibitory effect against Candida species was observed with tannic acid, followed by fluconazole. Non-albicans Candida groups were more sensitive to tannic acid compared to C. albicans isolates. Significant differences were observed in the MICs of fluconazole and tannic acid against non-albicans Candida isolates. Conclusion: The increasing antifungal resistance highlights the importance of evaluating new drugs that are more robust against resistance. This study suggests that tannic acid could be considered a novel antifungal agent for managing fungal infections, including multidrug-resistant non-albicans Candida infections.
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spelling doaj-art-91dc50303c3044ba924ed3bf2a76c5e32025-08-20T03:03:40ZengTehran University of Medical SciencesIranian Journal of Microbiology2008-32892008-44472025-04-0117210.18502/ijm.v17i2.18398Antifungal activity of polyphenolic compounds against fluconazole-susceptible and -resistant Candida speciesHarmed Fakhim0Bahar Mohamadi1Shima Gharibi2Medhi Rahimmalek3Mahnaz Hosseini Rizi4Mahsa Shelerangkon5Elahe Nasri6Fariba Dorostkar7Antoni Szumny8Afsane Vaezi9Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine Research Center, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, IranDepartment of Microbiology, Tehran North Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, IranInfectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine Research Center, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, IranDepartment of Horticulture, College of Agriculture, Isfahan University of Technology, Isfahan, IranInfectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine Research Center, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, IranInfectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine Research Center, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, IranInfectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine Research Center, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, IranDepartment of Medical Laboratory Sciences, School of Allied Medical Sciences, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, IranDepartment of Food Chemistry and Biocatalysis, Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences, Wroclaw, PolandDepartment of Medical Laboratory Sciences, School of Allied Medical Sciences, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran Background and Objectives: The rapid emergence of resistant fungi is occurring worldwide, and this crisis has been attributed to the lack of new antifungal drug development. This issue emphasizes the need for innovation in finding novel antifungals. There is an increasing interest in using the natural products of plants with high biological activity as alternatives to synthetic drugs. This study aimed to evaluate the possible applicability of polyphenols as alternative antifungal drugs to treat resistant Candida infections. Materials and Methods: A panel of fluconazole-resistant (n=14) and fluconazole-susceptible (n=26) clinical Candida isolates was obtained from the reference culture collection. The determination of the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of fluconazole, tannic acid, rosmarinic acid, gallic acid, chlorogenic acid, caffeic, ferulic, and p-coumaric was carried out following the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) guidelines. Results: The MIC values of 40 Candida species isolates ranged from 0.25 to >64 µg/mL for polyphenolic compounds. The highest inhibitory effect against Candida species was observed with tannic acid, followed by fluconazole. Non-albicans Candida groups were more sensitive to tannic acid compared to C. albicans isolates. Significant differences were observed in the MICs of fluconazole and tannic acid against non-albicans Candida isolates. Conclusion: The increasing antifungal resistance highlights the importance of evaluating new drugs that are more robust against resistance. This study suggests that tannic acid could be considered a novel antifungal agent for managing fungal infections, including multidrug-resistant non-albicans Candida infections. https://ijm.tums.ac.ir/index.php/ijm/article/view/4948Tannic acid;Polyphenolic compounds;Candida species;Fluconazole resistance;Antifungal activity
spellingShingle Harmed Fakhim
Bahar Mohamadi
Shima Gharibi
Medhi Rahimmalek
Mahnaz Hosseini Rizi
Mahsa Shelerangkon
Elahe Nasri
Fariba Dorostkar
Antoni Szumny
Afsane Vaezi
Antifungal activity of polyphenolic compounds against fluconazole-susceptible and -resistant Candida species
Iranian Journal of Microbiology
Tannic acid;
Polyphenolic compounds;
Candida species;
Fluconazole resistance;
Antifungal activity
title Antifungal activity of polyphenolic compounds against fluconazole-susceptible and -resistant Candida species
title_full Antifungal activity of polyphenolic compounds against fluconazole-susceptible and -resistant Candida species
title_fullStr Antifungal activity of polyphenolic compounds against fluconazole-susceptible and -resistant Candida species
title_full_unstemmed Antifungal activity of polyphenolic compounds against fluconazole-susceptible and -resistant Candida species
title_short Antifungal activity of polyphenolic compounds against fluconazole-susceptible and -resistant Candida species
title_sort antifungal activity of polyphenolic compounds against fluconazole susceptible and resistant candida species
topic Tannic acid;
Polyphenolic compounds;
Candida species;
Fluconazole resistance;
Antifungal activity
url https://ijm.tums.ac.ir/index.php/ijm/article/view/4948
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