In vitro activities of retigeric acid B alone and in combination with azole antifungal agents against Candida albicans

Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 2009 Apr;53(4):1586-91. doi: 10.1128/AAC.00940-08. Epub 2009 Jan 26.

Abstract

The vitro antifungal activity of retigeric acid B (RAB), a pentacyclic triterpenoid from the lichen species Lobaria kurokawae, was evaluated alone and in combination with fluconazole, ketoconazole, and itraconazole against Candida albicans using checkerboard microdilution and time-killing tests. The MICs for RAB against 10 different C. albicans isolates ranged from 8 to 16 microg/ml. A synergistic action of RAB and azole was observed in azole-resistant strains, whereas synergistic or indifferent effects were observed in azole-sensitive strains when interpreted by a separate approach of the fractional inhibitory concentration index and DeltaE model (the difference between the predicted and measured fungal growth percentages). In time-killing tests, we used both colony counts and a colorimetric assay to evaluate the combinational antifungal effects of RAB and azoles, which further confirmed their synergistic interactions. These findings suggest that the natural product RAB may play a certain role in increasing the susceptibilities of azole-resistant C. albicans strains.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Antifungal Agents / administration & dosage
  • Antifungal Agents / pharmacology*
  • Azoles / administration & dosage
  • Azoles / pharmacology*
  • Candida albicans / drug effects*
  • Fluconazole / pharmacology
  • Itraconazole / pharmacology
  • Ketoconazole / pharmacology
  • Lichens / chemistry*
  • Microbial Sensitivity Tests
  • Triterpenes / adverse effects
  • Triterpenes / pharmacology*

Substances

  • Antifungal Agents
  • Azoles
  • Triterpenes
  • retigeric acid B
  • Itraconazole
  • Fluconazole
  • Ketoconazole