Lasioglossins LLIII affect the morphogenesis of Candida albicans and reduces the duration of experimental vaginal candidiasis in mice.

Lasioglossins are a group of peptides with identified antimicrobial activity. The inhibitory effects of two synthetic lasioglossin derivatives, LLIII and D-isomeric variant LLIII-D, on morphological changes in Candida albicans in vitro and the effect of local administration of LLIII during experimental murine candidiasis were investigated. C. albicans blastoconidia were grown in the presence of lasioglossin LLIII or LLIII-D at concentrations of 11.5 µM and 21 µM, respectively, for 1, 2 and 3 days and their viability determined by flow cytometry using eosin Y staining. Morphological changes were examined by light and fluorescent microscopy. The Candida-inhibitory effect of daily intravaginal administration of 0.7 or 1.4 µg of LLIII was assessed in mice with experimentally-induced vaginal candidiasis. LLIII and LLIII-D lasioglossins exhibited candidacidal activity in vitro (>76% after 24 hr and >84% after 48 hr of incubation). After 72 hr incubation of Candida with low concentration of lasioglossins, an increase in viability was detected, probably due to a Candida antimicrobial peptides evasion strategy. Furthermore, lasioglossins inhibited temperature-induced morphotype changes toward hyphae and pseudohyphae with sporadic occurrence of atypical cells with two or enlarged nuclei, suggesting interference with mitosis or cytokinesis. Local application of LLIII reduced the duration of experimental candidiasis with no evidence of adverse effects. Lasioglossin LLIII is a promising candidate for development as an antimicrobial drug for treating the vaginal candidiasis.

Exposition of dermatophyte Trichophyton mentagrophytes to L-cystine induces expression and activation of cysteine dioxygenase.

Cysteine dioxygenase (CDO) is involved in regulation of intracellular cysteine levels by catabolising the cysteine to sulphite and sulphate. In keratinolytic fungi, sulphite is actively excreted to reduce disulphide bridges in keratin before its enzymatic degradation. The pathogenicity role of CDO was confirmed in cysteine-hypersensitive and growth-defective ΔCdo mutant of Arthroderma benhamiae on hair and nails. We analysed the CDO expression regulation in T. mentagrophytes (anamorph of A. benhamiae) mycelia by determining the Cdo mRNA and CDO protein levels and by analysing the proportion of two molecular forms of CDO in response to l-cystine exposure. Cdo mRNA levels in mycelia lysates were detected by reverse-transcription real-time polymerase chain reaction and CDO protein by western blot using mouse CDO-specific hyperimmune serum. The Cdo mRNA level increased gradually 2.5-4.5 h after exposure of the mycelium to l-cystine. The CDO protein, detected as two bands of different mobility, appeared earlier in comparison to mRNA (1 h) and culminated after 24 h. More mobile form prevailed after 4.5 h. The comparison of the dynamics in the Cdo mRNA and CDO protein levels indicates that T. mentagrophytes responds to l-cystine by increased transcription and apparently decreased degradation of the CDO and by changing towards higher mobility molecular form, similar to previous reports describing mammalian analogue.