Saliva affects the antifungal activity of exogenously added histatin 3 towards Candida albicans

• Published in: FEMS microbiology letters 2005-03, Vol.244 (1), p.207-212
• Main Authors: Yamagishi, Hisako, Fitzgerald, Deirdre H., Sein, Tin, Walsh, Thomas J., O’Connell, Brian C.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Action of physical and chemical agents; Animals; Antifungal; Antifungal activity; Antifungal agents; Antifungal Agents - administration & dosage; Antifungal Agents - metabolism; Antifungal Agents - pharmacology; Biological and medical sciences; Candida; Candida albicans; Candida albicans - drug effects; Candida albicans - isolation & purification; Candida albicans - pathogenicity; Clinical isolates; Exocrine glands; Female; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Fungicides; Germination; Histatin; Histatin degradation; Histatins; Humans; In Vitro Techniques; Microbiology; Mycology; Proteins - administration & dosage; Proteins - metabolism; Proteins - pharmacology; Rabbit submandibular gland saliva; Rabbits; Saliva; Saliva - metabolism; Saliva - microbiology; Submandibular gland; Submandibular Gland - metabolism
• ISSN: 0378-1097; 1574-6968
• DOI: 10.1016/j.femsle.2005.01.045

Antifungal activity of histatin 3 against two Candida albicans clinical isolates was determined in assays containing rabbit submandibular gland saliva. Histatin 3 inhibited the cell growth and germination of both isolates dose-dependently (10–100 μg ml −1) with maximum inhibition occurring after 60 min incubation. Adding fresh histatin 3 after 60 min caused further reduction in the viable cell count. Higher histatin 3 concentrations (50–100 μg ml −1) and prolonged exposure to peptide were required to inhibit germination. Histatin 3 was rapidly degraded in rabbit submandibular gland saliva and this may explain why fresh addition of histatin 3 increases candidacidal activity.