Novel combinatorial approach: Harnessing HIV protease inhibitors to enhance amphotericin B's antifungal efficacy in cryptococcosis.

ABSTRACT: Cryptococcosis is a fungal infection that is becoming increasingly prevalent worldwide, particularly among individuals with compromised immune systems, such as HIV patients. Amphotericin B (AmB) is the first-line treatment mainly combined with flucytosine. The scarcity and the prohibitive cost of this regimen urge the use of fluconazole as an alternative, leading to increased rates of treatment failure and relapses. Therefore, there is a critical need for efficient and cost-effective therapy to enhance the efficacy of AmB. In this study, we evaluated the efficacy of the HIV protease inhibitors (PIs) to synergize the activity of AmB in the treatment of cryptococcosis. Five PIs (ritonavir, atazanavir, saquinavir, lopinavir, and nelfinavir) were found to synergistically potentiate the killing

SUBMITTER: Alkashef NM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11293717 | biostudies-literature | 2024

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature