Antifungal compounds of Chinese prickly ash against drug-resistant Candida albicans.

The leaf of Chinese prickly ash, a unique spice having typical pungent sensation, is a popular food in Southwest China with antipruritic, insecticidal and fungicidal functions, but its bioactive constituents of fungistatic capacity remain unknown. In present investigation, twenty-nine compounds were isolated from leaf of Chinese prickly ash, and their antifungal bioactivity against drug-resistant Candida albicans were evaluated in vitro and in vivo. As a result, three compounds 3, 10, 29 showed antifungal bioactivity by damage of the fungal biofilm, and they might recover sensitive of drug resistant C. albicans to Fluconazole. Then Chinese prickly ash leaf was proved to be a functional food against fungus for the first time in experiment.

Roles and current applications of S-nitrosoglutathione in anti-infective biomaterials.

Bacterial infections can compromise the physical and biological functionalities of humans and pose a huge economical and psychological burden on infected patients. Nitric oxide (NO) is a broad-spectrum antimicrobial agent, whose mechanism of action is not affected by bacterial resistance. S-nitrosoglutathione (GSNO), an endogenous donor and carrier of NO, has gained increasing attention because of its potent antibacterial activity and efficient biocompatibility. Significant breakthroughs have been made in the application of GSNO in biomaterials. This review is based on the existing evidence that comprehensively summarizes the progress of antimicrobial GSNO applications focusing on their anti-infective performance, underlying antibacterial mechanisms, and application in anti-infective biomaterials. We provide an accurate overview of the roles and applications of GSNO in antibacterial biomaterials and shed new light on the avenues for future studies.

Delivery strategies of amphotericin B for invasive fungal infections.

Invasive fungal infections (IFIs) represent a growing public concern for clinicians to manage in many medical settings, with substantial associated morbidities and mortalities. Among many current therapeutic options for the treatment of IFIs, amphotericin B (AmB) is the most frequently used drug. AmB is considered as a first-line drug in the clinic that has strong antifungal activity and less resistance. In this review, we summarized the most promising research efforts on nanocarriers for AmB delivery and highlighted their efficacy and safety for treating IFIs. We have also discussed the mechanism of actions of AmB, rationale for treating IFIs, and recent advances in formulating AmB for clinical use. Finally, this review discusses some practical considerations and provides recommendations for future studies in applying AmB for combating IFIs.

How to prevent contamination with Candida albicans during the fabrication of transplantable oral mucosal epithelial cell sheets.

We have utilized patients' own oral mucosa as a cell source for the fabrication of transplantable epithelial cell sheets to treat limbal stem cell deficiency and mucosal defects after endoscopic submucosal dissection of esophageal cancer. Because there are abundant microbiotas in the human oral cavity, the oral mucosa was sterilized and 40 µg/mL gentamicin and 0.27 µg/mL amphotericin B were added to the culture medium in our protocol. Although an oral surgeon carefully checked each patient's oral cavity and although candidiasis was not observed before taking the biopsy, contamination with Candida albicans (C. albicans) was detected in the conditioned medium during cell sheet fabrication. After adding 1 µg/mL amphotericin B to the transportation medium during transport from Nagasaki University Hospital to Tokyo Women's Medical University, which are 1200 km apart, no proliferation of C. albicans was observed. These results indicated that the supplementation of transportation medium with antimycotics would be useful for preventing contamination with C. albicans derived from the oral mucosa without hampering cell proliferation.

Successful management of fungal pericarditis and endocarditis in a neonate: A case report.

Neonatal fungal endocarditis is a rare but serious infection, which does not have a well-accepted management method. This is the second report of this condition in Saudi Arabia. A preterm, very low birth weight, female neonate presented with fever and shortness of breath. An echocardiogram showed moderate pericardial effusion and two masses in the heart, one in the right ventricle and the other in the inferior portion of the posterior mitral valve of the left ventricle. Blood and pericardial fluid cultures revealed an infection with Candida albicans. The patient received a 60 days course of intravenous fluconazole and amphotericin B lipid complex. At the conclusion of treatment, she was discharged in good condition with no echocardiographic evidence of pericardial effusion or fungal vegetations. Thus, a successful outcome to a serious case of fungal endocarditis was achieved through aggressive antifungal therapy with intravenous fluconazole and amphotericin B lipid complex.