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Volume 2 Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology Reports Microbial Biotechnology 2018
September 17-18, 2018
Microbial Biotechnology & Vaccine Design
September 17-18, 2018 Lisbon, Portugal
5th World Congress on
The capric acid from Saccharomyces boulardii as an antifungal agent: Amechanism study
Anna Krasowska, Jakub Suchodolski and Marcin Lukaszewicz
University of Wroclaw, Poland
Candida albicans is a pathogenic yeast-like fungus that causes exo- and endogenous infections. C. albicans strains exhibit multidrug-
resistance to commonly used antifungal agents which correlate with overexpression of Cdr and Mdr efflux pumps located in the
plasma membrane. Growing resistance of pathogenic C. albicans strains to many classes of antifungal drugs has stimulated efforts to
find new agents to combat more invasive infections. A selected number of probiotic organisms, Saccharomyces boulardii among them,
have also been tested as potential biotherapeutic agents. S. boulardii is a yeast strain that has been shown to have applications in the
prevention and treatment of intestinal infections caused by microbial pathogens. We have similarly shown that S. boulardii secretes
capric acid (C10:0), which is most effective in inhibiting essential virulence factors of C. albicans, especially morphological transition,
partial adhesion, as well as biofilm formation. Our latest research on the mechanism of action of capric acid and its influence on the
C. albicans cells clearly show its interaction with the plasma membrane. Capric acid decreases fluidity, while increasing the potential
of the plasma membrane. For these reasons, we have probably not observed antifungal activity of amphotericin B in the presence of
capric acid. The antagonism between capric acid and amphotericin B is a strong indication for physicians to not use both compounds
simultaneously in the treatment of candidiasis.
Biography
Anna Krasowska is an assistant professor at the Department of Biotransformation, University of Wroclaw, Poland. She is currently involved in the isolation and
characterization of biosurfactants produced by arctic microorganisms. She has also examined the activity of lipases and proteases released into the environment
by microorganisms isolated from different environments. Her research interests lie in multidrug resistance of pathogenic microorganisms like Saccharomyces
cerevisiae, yeast and Candida albicans.
Anna Krasowska et al.,, J Microbio and Biotech Rept 2018, Volume 2