Effect of amphotericin B, nystatin and miconazole on the polar lipids of Candida albicans and Candida dubliniensis

Department of Medical Objective: To determine whether nystatin, amphotericin B and miconazole have similar effects Mycoparasitology, upon the fatty acids and phospholipids of Candida albicans and C. dubliniensis. Jundishapour University of Materials and Methods: Serial dilutions of antifungal drugs were prepared in flasks. Then 50 ml Medical Sciences, Ahwaz, of standardised suspension of tested yeasts was inoculated into each flask and incubated in Iran, shaking water bath at 37C for 48 h. The last flask that had gr wth was centrifuged and the yeast Oral Microbiology Laboratory, School of cells harvested, washed and freeze-dried. Polar lipids were extracted from freeze-dried cells Biological Sciences, and were analysed by fast atom bombardment mass spectrometry (FAB MS) in negative-ion Manchester, M15 6FH, UK mode. Results: Nystatin, amphotericin B and miconazole have different effects on phospholipids and Received: 29.12.05 fatty acids of two strains of C. albicans and a single strain of C. dubliniensis. The content of Revised: 18.4.2006 phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) in C. dubliniensis decreased from 53.2% to 19.4% and from Aceepted: 7.6.2006 53.2% to 14.3% in the presence of nystatin and amphotericin B, respectively, whereas this phospholipid was absent in cultures exposed to miconazole. In both the examined strains of C. albicans, PE was decreased,in the presence of amphotericin B and nystatin, whereas PE in both Correspondance to: strains of C. albicans increased when cultures were exposed to nystatin. Ali Zarei Mahmoudabadi Email: Conclusion: It is concluded that biosynthesis of fatty acids and phospholipids of C. albicans [email protected] and C. dubliniensis is affected by nystatin, amphotericin B and miconazole, in addition to the effects on ergosterol previously described. Antifungals also exert both qualitative and quantitative effects on different strains of C. albicans.