Combating Black Fungus: Using Allicin as a Potent Antifungal Agent against Mucorales

Combating Black Fungus: Using Allicin as a Potent Antifungal Agent against Mucorales

Invasive fungal (IF) diseases are a leading global cause of mortality, particularly among immunocompromised individuals. The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic further exacerbated this scenario, intensifying comorbid IF infections such as mucormycoses of the nasopharynx. In the work reported here, it is shown that...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal of molecular sciences Vol. 24; no. 24; p. 17519
Main Authors: Schier, Christina, Gruhlke, Martin C H, Reucher, Georg, Slusarenko, Alan J, Rink, Lothar
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 15-12-2023
Subjects:
allicin
amphotericin B
Antifungal agents
Antimicrobial agents
antimycotic
Bacterial infections
COVID-19
Fungal infections
Fungi
glutathione reductase
Immune system
Infections
Ligands
Mortality
mucormycosis
Pathogens
COVID-19
antimycotic
allicin
amphotericin B
glutathione reductase
mucormycosis
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Summary:Invasive fungal (IF) diseases are a leading global cause of mortality, particularly among immunocompromised individuals. The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic further exacerbated this scenario, intensifying comorbid IF infections such as mucormycoses of the nasopharynx. In the work reported here, it is shown that zygomycetes, significant contributors to mycoses, are sensitive to the natural product allicin. Inhibition of Mucorales fungi by allicin in solution and by allicin vapor was demonstrated. Mathematical modeling showed that the efficacy of allicin vapor is comparable to direct contact with the commercially available antifungal agent amphotericin B (ampB). Furthermore, the study revealed a synergistic interaction between allicin and the non-volatile ampB. The toxicity of allicin solution to human cell lines was evaluated and it was found that the half maximal effective concentration (EC ) of allicin was 25-72 times higher in the cell lines as compared to the fungal spores. Fungal allicin sensitivity depends on the spore concentration, as demonstrated in a drop test. This study shows the potential of allicin, a sulfur-containing defense compound from garlic, to combat zygomycete fungi. The findings underscore allicin's promise for applications in infections of the nasopharynx via inhalation, suggesting a novel therapeutic avenue against challenging fungal infections.
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ISSN:1422-0067
1661-6596
1422-0067
DOI:10.3390/ijms242417519