Experimental Models of Dermatophytosis

Abstract

Dermatophytosis is a superficial fungal infection of the keratinized structures of the host. Since the last decade, this mycosis became an important health concern due to an increasing prevalence and to the limited number and efficacy of available treatments. Several experimental models have then been developed in order to improve knowledge about this infection and to design new therapeutic strategies. This chapter presents the variety of dermatophytosis experimental models and their contribution in the understanding of mechanisms used by dermatophytes to adhere and to invade the host tissue. Their support to study the establishment of effective antifungal defenses by the host is also summarized. The usefulness of these models for testing the efficacy of antifungal compounds is finally discussed.

Inhibition of the growth of the pathogenic fungus Trichophyton rubrum by M. azedarach leaves

“…Dermatology diseases are one of the common health problems that affect 20-25% of the world's population (Chowdhary et al, 2022) [5] , it is a group of fungi that have the ability to attack keratinized tissues of humans and animals such as hair, skin and nails (Faway et al, 2021) [8] , causing superficial fungal infections of the skin known as Dermatophytosis (Al harbi et al, 2022) [4] , and this group includes three genera: Epidermphytin, Trichophyton, Microsporum (Janardhan, 2017) [13] . Because of the importance of dermatophytic fungi and the difficulty of eradicating them, it became necessary to search for therapeutic alternatives, therefore, medicinal plants were used as therapeutic alternatives, which gained wide importance in the treatment of many diseases.…”