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Project

Identification and mode of action of natural products from Chinese medicinal plants active against biofilms of Candida species pathogenic for humans.

Biofilms are communities of cells that have adhered to a substrate and that consist of multiple layers of cells attached to each other and embedded in extracellular materials. These communities are strongly resistant to external factors, including to common antimicrobial treatment. Emerging species such as C. glabrata present an even higher resistance to the commonly used antifungal drugs such as azoles, and biofilms of that species are extremely difficult to eradicate. In an effort to identify novel antifungal molecules potent against C. albicans and C. glabrata biofilms, we screened a selection of Chinese plant extracts and isolated several active components, some with already known antifungal activity and some with uncharacterized features against fungal growth. The aim in this project is to determine the mode of action of these novel antibiofilm compounds.
Date:1 Jun 2012 →  31 May 2015
Keywords:Biofilm, Chinese Medicinal plants, Candida glabrata, Candida albicans
Disciplines:Microbiology, Systems biology, Laboratory medicine