Effect of Quarum Sensing Molecules on Aspergillus fumigatus

Thanwa  WONGSUK; Passanesh  SUKPHOPETCH

doi:10.48048/wjst.2020.6172

Authors

Thanwa WONGSUK Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Bangkok 10400, Thailand
Passanesh SUKPHOPETCH Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Bangkok 10400, Thailand

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.48048/wjst.2020.6172

Keywords:

Quorum sensing molecules, Aspergillus fumigatus, biofilms, minimum inhibitory concentration

Abstract

Aspergillus fumigatus is an opportunistic fungal pathogen to which immunocompromised patients are especially susceptible. A. fumigatus can form biofilms both in vitro and in vivo. Quorum sensing molecules (QSMs) have activity against some fungi. This study aimed to determine the activity of the QSMs farnesol, tyrosol, phenylethanol and tryptophol against the growth A. fumigatus on solid media, and against its ability to form biofilms. The activity of each QSM against planktonic A. fumigatus growth was assessed using the CLSI M38-A2 broth microdilution assay, while QSM inhibition of A. fumigatus’s biofilm formation was measured in crystal violet, and 2, 3-bis (2-methoxy-4-nitro-5-sulfo-phenyl)-2H-tetrazolium-5-caboxanilide (XTT) assays. The QSMs reduced the colony diameter of the studied strains in a QSM-dependent pattern. Tryptophol showed the best effect and tyrosol showed the poorest effect. The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) for farnesol, tyrosol, phenylethanol and tryptophol tested against A. fumigatus were > 32, > 32, 16 and 8 mM, respectively. The effective concentration each QSM required to inhibit A. fumigatus biofilm formation were higher than the planktonic MICs. In this study, the performance of QSMs against A. fumigatus ranked from best to worst as follows: tryptophol, phenylethanol, farnesol and tyrosol. Because of phenylethanol and tryptophol showed the strongest effect to the growth and biofilm formation of A. fumigatus. Therefore, the cytotoxic activities of phenylethanol and tryptophol in A549 cells (lung alveolar epithelial cells) were determined. However, phenylethanol and tryptophol induced A549 cell damage (at MIC level), as demonstrated by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium (MTT) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) assays.

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Author Biographies

Thanwa WONGSUK, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Bangkok 10400, Thailand

Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University.

420/6 Ratchawithi Rd., Ratchathewi, Bangkok 10400

Passanesh SUKPHOPETCH, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Bangkok 10400, Thailand

Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University.

420/6 Ratchawithi Rd., Ratchathewi, Bangkok 10400

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