Broad Antifungal Spectrum of the Pore-Forming Peptide C14R Against <i>Cryptococcus</i> and <i>Candida</i> Species from the WHO Fungal Priority Pathogens List
The World Health Organization (WHO) prioritized 19 fungal species based on the significant impact of these pathogens on human health, including the emergence of antifungal resistance, which highlights the necessity of finding new antifungal therapies. Among these novel therapeutic approaches, the an...
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2025-05-01
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| author | Carolina Firacative Norida Vélez Ann-Kathrin Kissmann Daniel Alpízar-Pedraza Jan-Christoph Walter Ludger Ständker Frank Rosenau |
| author_facet | Carolina Firacative Norida Vélez Ann-Kathrin Kissmann Daniel Alpízar-Pedraza Jan-Christoph Walter Ludger Ständker Frank Rosenau |
| author_sort | Carolina Firacative |
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| description | The World Health Organization (WHO) prioritized 19 fungal species based on the significant impact of these pathogens on human health, including the emergence of antifungal resistance, which highlights the necessity of finding new antifungal therapies. Among these novel therapeutic approaches, the antimicrobial pore-forming peptide C14R has shown to be promising against <i>Candida albicans</i> and <i>Candida auris</i>. In this study, the antifungal in vitro efficacy of C14R was assessed against six additional species from the WHO priority list, <i>Cryptococcus neoformans</i>, <i>Cryptococcus gattii</i>, <i>Candida glabrata</i>, <i>Candida tropicalis</i>, <i>Candida parapsilosis</i> and <i>Candida krusei</i>, as well as against <i>Candida dubliniensis.</i> This study shows that C14R has good antifungal activity against several clinical isolates of the studied species, with MIC values between 0.8476 and 10.88 µg/mL. Most notably, some of the studied isolates are resistant to commonly used antifungal drugs but are susceptible to the peptide. C14R showed, moreover, its capacity to disrupt <i>Cryptococcus</i> capsules, beyond its already proven capacity to disrupt plasma membranes, and its antifungal activity was not affected depending on the serotype or species assessed. The inclusion of basidiomycete and ascomycete yeasts allowed us to display the broad-spectrum potential of C14R, highlighting it as a promising candidate as an antifungal agent. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-d37c6c99870e4081ae1efaf71c40096f |
| institution | Kabale University |
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| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-05-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Pathogens |
| spelling | doaj-art-d37c6c99870e4081ae1efaf71c40096f2025-08-20T03:29:39ZengMDPI AGPathogens2076-08172025-05-0114651110.3390/pathogens14060511Broad Antifungal Spectrum of the Pore-Forming Peptide C14R Against <i>Cryptococcus</i> and <i>Candida</i> Species from the WHO Fungal Priority Pathogens ListCarolina Firacative0Norida Vélez1Ann-Kathrin Kissmann2Daniel Alpízar-Pedraza3Jan-Christoph Walter4Ludger Ständker5Frank Rosenau6Studies in Translational Microbiology and Emerging Diseases (MICROS) Research Group, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universidad de Rosario, Bogota 111221, ColombiaStudies in Translational Microbiology and Emerging Diseases (MICROS) Research Group, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universidad de Rosario, Bogota 111221, ColombiaInstitute of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Ulm University, 89081 Ulm, GermanyInstitute of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Ulm University, 89081 Ulm, GermanyInstitute of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Ulm University, 89081 Ulm, GermanyCore Facility for Functional Peptidomics (CFP), Faculty of Medicine, Ulm University, 89081 Ulm, GermanyInstitute of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Ulm University, 89081 Ulm, GermanyThe World Health Organization (WHO) prioritized 19 fungal species based on the significant impact of these pathogens on human health, including the emergence of antifungal resistance, which highlights the necessity of finding new antifungal therapies. Among these novel therapeutic approaches, the antimicrobial pore-forming peptide C14R has shown to be promising against <i>Candida albicans</i> and <i>Candida auris</i>. In this study, the antifungal in vitro efficacy of C14R was assessed against six additional species from the WHO priority list, <i>Cryptococcus neoformans</i>, <i>Cryptococcus gattii</i>, <i>Candida glabrata</i>, <i>Candida tropicalis</i>, <i>Candida parapsilosis</i> and <i>Candida krusei</i>, as well as against <i>Candida dubliniensis.</i> This study shows that C14R has good antifungal activity against several clinical isolates of the studied species, with MIC values between 0.8476 and 10.88 µg/mL. Most notably, some of the studied isolates are resistant to commonly used antifungal drugs but are susceptible to the peptide. C14R showed, moreover, its capacity to disrupt <i>Cryptococcus</i> capsules, beyond its already proven capacity to disrupt plasma membranes, and its antifungal activity was not affected depending on the serotype or species assessed. The inclusion of basidiomycete and ascomycete yeasts allowed us to display the broad-spectrum potential of C14R, highlighting it as a promising candidate as an antifungal agent.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0817/14/6/511<i>Candida</i>cryptococcosis<i>Cryptococcus</i>invasive candidiasisantimicrobial peptidesC14R |
| spellingShingle | Carolina Firacative Norida Vélez Ann-Kathrin Kissmann Daniel Alpízar-Pedraza Jan-Christoph Walter Ludger Ständker Frank Rosenau Broad Antifungal Spectrum of the Pore-Forming Peptide C14R Against <i>Cryptococcus</i> and <i>Candida</i> Species from the WHO Fungal Priority Pathogens List Pathogens <i>Candida</i> cryptococcosis <i>Cryptococcus</i> invasive candidiasis antimicrobial peptides C14R |
| title | Broad Antifungal Spectrum of the Pore-Forming Peptide C14R Against <i>Cryptococcus</i> and <i>Candida</i> Species from the WHO Fungal Priority Pathogens List |
| title_full | Broad Antifungal Spectrum of the Pore-Forming Peptide C14R Against <i>Cryptococcus</i> and <i>Candida</i> Species from the WHO Fungal Priority Pathogens List |
| title_fullStr | Broad Antifungal Spectrum of the Pore-Forming Peptide C14R Against <i>Cryptococcus</i> and <i>Candida</i> Species from the WHO Fungal Priority Pathogens List |
| title_full_unstemmed | Broad Antifungal Spectrum of the Pore-Forming Peptide C14R Against <i>Cryptococcus</i> and <i>Candida</i> Species from the WHO Fungal Priority Pathogens List |
| title_short | Broad Antifungal Spectrum of the Pore-Forming Peptide C14R Against <i>Cryptococcus</i> and <i>Candida</i> Species from the WHO Fungal Priority Pathogens List |
| title_sort | broad antifungal spectrum of the pore forming peptide c14r against i cryptococcus i and i candida i species from the who fungal priority pathogens list |
| topic | <i>Candida</i> cryptococcosis <i>Cryptococcus</i> invasive candidiasis antimicrobial peptides C14R |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0817/14/6/511 |
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