Background: Candida albicans is one of the most important members of the human normal flora that can cause opportunistic fungal infections. Hydrolytic enzymes are one of the main virulence factors in the pathogenesis of Candida species. Objectives: This study was carried out to determine proteolytic activities, and their related gene expressions in C. albicans isolates obtained from oropharyngeal candidiasis in head and neck cancer patients. Methods: Thirty-two C. albicans clinical isolates were included in this study. Secreted aspartyl protease and phospholipase activities were analyzed by appropriate agar media and precipitation zones. The expression levels of SAP1, 3 and PLB1, 2 genes were evaluated by real-time PCR. Results: All the 32 isolates exhibited proteinase activity while 28 of them showed phospholipase activity. All the strains possessed all SAPs genes; however, PLBs genes were not expressed in four isolates. Conclusions: Our findings demonstrated that the clinical strains of C. albicans had strong proteolytic activity and high expression levels of the pertaining genes.
Introduction: Biofilm formation is one of the specific features of Candida albicans that protects it from antifungal agents and the host immune system. Also, Biofilm formation by C. albicans on the mucosal surfaces and medical devices are responsible for causing Candida nosocomial infection. Here, we investigated the effects of ellagic acid on C. albicans growth and biofilm formation regarding the expression of two essential genes that are involved in adhesion and yeast-hypha transition. Methods: The yeasts were treated with serial twofold concentrations of ellagic acid (3.125-100 µg/ml) for 48 h at 35°C. The weights of the cultured yeasts were measured as an indicator of the fungal growth, and the biofilm formation was assessed by a tetrazolium salt (XTT) reduction assay. The expression of HWP1 and ALS3 genes was assayed by real-time PCR. Results: Ellagic acid inhibited C. albicans growth 0.68%-82.44%, dosedependently. The biofilm formation also reduced 2.61%-68.318%. Also, The expression of HWP1 and ALS3 genes was notably suppressed by ellagic acid at different concentrations. Conclusion: Our results showed that ellagic acid is a potential candidate to eliminate C. albicans-generated biofilm by suppressing the expression of the involved genes.
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