ANTIFUNGAL AND ANTIVIRULENCE ACTIVITY OF TANNIC ACID AGAINST DRUG-RESISTANT CANDIDA SPECIES

Abstract

Candida species are fungal pathogens considered a clinical priority and a public health problem due to the increasing emergence of antifungal-resistant strains and high mortality rates. Therefore, the search for new therapeutic strategies has become crucial. In this study, we evaluated the antifungal and antivirulence effects of tannic acid against some Candida species. Tannic acid exhibited minimal inhibitory concentrations in the range of 8 to 16 µg/mL against Candida species and had fungistatic activity against the isolates at 16 to 128 µg/mL. We found that tannic acid reduced protease secretion, biofilm formation and inhibited hyphal production. Furthermore, tannic acid altered the fungal membrane integrity of Candida. Finally, we evidenced a potential synergistic effect of tannic acid and azole antifungals against some Candida species. Our results highlight the antifungal and antivirulence effect of tannic acid against clinical priority Candida species as a possible therapeutic alternative for candidiasis infections.