Evaluation of antifungal effect and toxicity of xanthyletin and two bacterial metabolites against Thai isolates of Pythium insidiosum

Sci Rep. 2020 Mar 11;10(1):4495. doi: 10.1038/s41598-020-61271-0.

Abstract

Pythiosis is a harmful disease caused by Pythium insidiosum, an aquatic oomycete. Therapeutic protocols based on antifungal drugs are often ineffective because the cytoplasmic membrane of P. insidiosum does not contain ergosterol. Therefore, the treatment of pythiosis is still challenging, particularly making use of natural products and secondary metabolites from bacteria. In this study, xanthyletin and substances obtained from Pseudomonas stutzeri ST1302 and Klebsiella pneumoniae ST2501 exhibited anti-P. insidiosum activity and, moreover, xanthyletin was non-toxic against human cell lines. The hyphae of P. insidiosum treated with these three substances exhibited lysis holes on a rough surface and release of anamorphic material. Therefore, xanthyletin could be considered a promising alternative agent for treating cutaneous pythiosis in the near future.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Antifungal Agents / pharmacology*
  • Antiparasitic Agents / pharmacology*
  • Bacteria / chemistry
  • Bacteria / metabolism
  • Cell Line
  • Cell Survival / drug effects
  • Complex Mixtures
  • Coumarins / pharmacology*
  • Fibroblasts / drug effects
  • Humans
  • Hyphae / drug effects
  • Hyphae / ultrastructure
  • Microbial Sensitivity Tests
  • Pythium / drug effects*

Substances

  • Antifungal Agents
  • Antiparasitic Agents
  • Complex Mixtures
  • Coumarins
  • xanthyletine