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Volume 12
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10.3390/antibiotics12081230
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Article

Overcoming Drug Resistance in a Clinical C. albicans Strain Using Photoactivated Curcumin as an Adjuvant

by
Carmen-Ecaterina Leferman
1,2,†,
Laura Stoica
3,†,
Mirela Tiglis
4,†,
Bogdan Alexandru Stoica
5,*,
Monica Hancianu
6,
Alin Dumitru Ciubotaru
1,5,7,*,
Delia Lidia Salaru
8,
Aida Corina Badescu
9,
Camelia-Margareta Bogdanici
2,
Ioan-Adrian Ciureanu
10 and
Cristina-Mihaela Ghiciuc
1
1
Department of Pharmacology, Medical Specialties II, “Grigore T. Popa” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 700115 Iasi, Romania
2
Department of Ophthalmology, “Grigore T. Popa” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 700115 Iasi, Romania
3
Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, “Grigore T. Popa” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 700115 Iasi, Romania
4
Department of Anesthesia and Intensive Care, Emergency Clinical Hospital of Bucharest, 014461 Bucharest, Romania
5
Department of Biochemistry, “Grigore T. Popa” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 700115 Iasi, Romania
6
Department of Pharmacognosy, “Grigore T. Popa” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 700115 Iasi, Romania
7
Department of Neurology, “Grigore T. Popa” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 700115 Iasi, Romania
8
Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases, 700503 Iasi, Romania
9
Department of Microbiology (Bacteriology, Virology) and Parasitology, “Grigore T. Popa” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 700115 Iasi, Romania
10
Department of Medical Informatics and Biostatistics, “Grigore T. Popa” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 700115 Iasi, Romania
*
Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.
†
These authors contributed equally to this work.
Antibiotics 2023, 12(8), 1230; https://doi.org/10.3390/antibiotics12081230
Submission received: 9 July 2023 / Revised: 23 July 2023 / Accepted: 24 July 2023 / Published: 25 July 2023
(This article belongs to the Topic Novel Antimicrobial Agents: Discovery, Design and New Therapeutic Strategies, 2nd Volume)
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Abstract

The limited antifungal drugs available and the rise of multidrug-resistant Candida species have made the efforts to improve antifungal therapies paramount. To this end, our research focused on the effect of a combined treatment between chemical and photodynamic therapy (PDT) towards a fluconazole-resistant clinical Candida albicans strain. The co-treatment of PDT and curcumin in various doses with fluconazole (FLC) had an inhibitory effect on the growth of the FLC-resistant hospital strain of C. albicans in both difusimetric and broth microdilution methods. The proliferation of the cells was inhibited in the presence of curcumin at 3.125 µM and FLC at 41 µM concentrations. The possible involvement of oxidative stress was analyzed by adding menadione and glutathione as a prooxidant and antioxidant, respectively. In addition, we examined the photoactivated curcumin effect on efflux pumps, a mechanism often linked to drug resistance. Nile Red accumulation assays were used to evaluate efflux pumps activity through fluorescence microscopy and spectrofluorometry. The results showed that photoactivated curcumin at 3.125 µM inhibited the transport of the fluorescent substrate that cells usually expel, indicating its potential in combating drug resistance. Overall, the findings suggest that curcumin, particularly when combined with PDT, can effectively inhibit the growth of FLC-resistant C. albicans, addressing the challenge of yeast resistance to azole antifungals through upregulating multidrug transporters.
Keywords: PDT; fungi; Candida albicans; curcumin; antimicrobial photodynamic chemotherapy; efflux pumps; resistance PDT; fungi; Candida albicans; curcumin; antimicrobial photodynamic chemotherapy; efflux pumps; resistance

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MDPI and ACS Style

Leferman, C.-E.; Stoica, L.; Tiglis, M.; Stoica, B.A.; Hancianu, M.; Ciubotaru, A.D.; Salaru, D.L.; Badescu, A.C.; Bogdanici, C.-M.; Ciureanu, I.-A.; et al. Overcoming Drug Resistance in a Clinical C. albicans Strain Using Photoactivated Curcumin as an Adjuvant. Antibiotics 2023, 12, 1230. https://doi.org/10.3390/antibiotics12081230

AMA Style

Leferman C-E, Stoica L, Tiglis M, Stoica BA, Hancianu M, Ciubotaru AD, Salaru DL, Badescu AC, Bogdanici C-M, Ciureanu I-A, et al. Overcoming Drug Resistance in a Clinical C. albicans Strain Using Photoactivated Curcumin as an Adjuvant. Antibiotics. 2023; 12(8):1230. https://doi.org/10.3390/antibiotics12081230

Chicago/Turabian Style

Leferman, Carmen-Ecaterina, Laura Stoica, Mirela Tiglis, Bogdan Alexandru Stoica, Monica Hancianu, Alin Dumitru Ciubotaru, Delia Lidia Salaru, Aida Corina Badescu, Camelia-Margareta Bogdanici, Ioan-Adrian Ciureanu, and et al. 2023. "Overcoming Drug Resistance in a Clinical C. albicans Strain Using Photoactivated Curcumin as an Adjuvant" Antibiotics 12, no. 8: 1230. https://doi.org/10.3390/antibiotics12081230

APA Style

Leferman, C.-E., Stoica, L., Tiglis, M., Stoica, B. A., Hancianu, M., Ciubotaru, A. D., Salaru, D. L., Badescu, A. C., Bogdanici, C.-M., Ciureanu, I.-A., & Ghiciuc, C.-M. (2023). Overcoming Drug Resistance in a Clinical C. albicans Strain Using Photoactivated Curcumin as an Adjuvant. Antibiotics, 12(8), 1230. https://doi.org/10.3390/antibiotics12081230

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