Antibiofilm and antifungal activities of medium-chain fatty acids against Candida albicans via mimicking of the quorum-sensing molecule farnesol.

ABSTRACT: Candida biofilms are tolerant to conventional antifungal therapeutics and the host immune system. The transition of yeast cells to hyphae is considered a key step in C. albicans biofilm development, and this transition is inhibited by the quorum-sensing molecule farnesol. We hypothesized that fatty acids mimicking farnesol might influence hyphal and biofilm formation by C. albicans. Among 31 saturated and unsaturated fatty acids, six medium-chain saturated fatty acids, that is, heptanoic acid, octanoic acid, nonanoic acid, decanoic acid, undecanoic acid and lauric acid, effectively inhibited C. albicans biofilm formation by more than 75% at 2 µg ml^-1 with MICs in the range 100-200 µg ml^-1 . These six fatty acids at 2 µg ml^-1 and farnesol at 100 µg ml^-1

SUBMITTER: Lee JH 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8313291 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature