Background: Aureobasidin A is known as a cyclic depsipeptide antibiotic with toxic effects against yeasts such as Candida spp at low concentration. Combination therapy is used as a conventional treatment for fungal infections, especially drug-resistant cases. The current study aimed to investigate the combined effects of Fluconazole and Aureobasidin A on Fluconazole-resistant C. albicans isolates using broth microdilution method. Materials & Methods: Antifungal activity of Aureobasidin A (AbA) compared to Fluconazole against C. albicans ATCC 76615 strain was determined using the standardized broth microdilution method according to the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI, document M27-Ed4) guidelines. The checkerboard method was used to test the combined effects of Aureobasidin A and Fluconazole. The synergy, indifference, and antagonism were defined based on the fractional inhibitory concentration values below 0. 5, 0. 5-4, and more than 4 μ g/mL, respectively. Findings: MIC50 and MIC90 evaluations of Aureobasidin A and Fluconazole were done at concentrations of 0. 25-2 and 32-64 μ g/mL against C. glabrata isolates, respectively. The synergy between Fluconazole and Aureobasidin A was observed against Candida isolate. A reduced MIC was demonstrated against C. albicans isolate when Fluconazole was combined with Aureobasidin A at 4 to 0. 12 μ g/mL concentrations. Conclusion: The present study findings revealed that Aureobasidin A combined with Fluconazole exhibited potent inhibitory effects against Fluconazole-resistant C. albicans isolates. Further studies is recommended to investigate the synergistic effects of Aureobasidin A and other antifungal drugs.

Background & Objective: The incidence of biofilm-related infections caused by Candida albicans has increased dramatically. C. albicans biofilm-related infections are more resistant to antifungal medications. This work was an attempt to examine inhibitory effects of Fluconazole in combination with amphotericin B on Fluconazole-resistant C. albicans biofilm. Materials & Methods: Fluconazole-resistant C. albicans was identified among colonized clinical isolates of C. albicans obtained from the patients at Shahid Beheshti Hospital, Yasooj, Iran, between September 2016 and January 2017. The MICs of Fluconazole alone and in combination with amphotericin B were determined on Fluconazole-resistant C. albicans by broth microdilution method based on the CLSI document M27-A3 and the synergistic effects were interpreted by the FIC index. To address the inhibitory effects of drug combinations, we investigated the anti-biofilm activities of Fluconazole alone and in combination with amphotericin B against Fluconazole-resistant C. albicans using crystal violet staining, light field microscopy and expression analysis of HWP1 using RT-PCR. Results: Ten percent of the colonizing clinical isolates of C. albicans were found to be Fluconazole-resistant. The Fluconazole combined with amphotericin B exhibited synergistic and partial synergistic effects against Fluconazole-resistant C. albicans isolates with FIC index ranging from 0. 50 to 0. 75. Our findings demonstrated that Fluconazole combined with amphotericin B exerted a significant reduction and inhibition on biomass, biofilm formation and the expression levels of HWP1 (P<0. 05). Conclusion: Fluconazole combined with amphotericin B showed potent inhibitory activity against Fluconazole-resistant C. albicans biofilm formation. Other measures are important to determine the effectiveness of the drug combinations against C. albicans biofilm.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to assay the antifungal activity of selected essential oils obtained from plants against both Fluconazole (FLU)-resistant and FLU-susceptible C. albicans strains isolated from HIV positive patients with oropharyngeal candidiasis (OPC).Materials and Methods: The essential oils were obtained by hydrodistillation method from Myrtus communis (My. communis), Zingiber officinale roscoe (Z. officinale roscoe), Matricaria chamomilla (Ma. chamomilla), Trachyspermum ammi (T. ammi) and Origanum vulgare (O. vulgare). The susceptibility test was based on the M27-A2 methodology. The chemical compositions of the essential oils were obtained by gas chromatography- mass spectroscopy (GC-MS).Results: In GC-MS analysis, thymol (63.40%), linalool (42%), a-pinene (27.87%), a-pinene (22.10%), and zingiberene (31.79%) were found to be the major components of T. ammi, O. vulgare, My. communis, Ma. chamomilla and Z. officinale roscoe, respectively. The results showed that essential oils have different levels of antifungal activity. O. vulgare and T. ammi essential oils were found to be the most efficient (P<0.05). The main finding was that the susceptibilities of FLU-resistant C. albicans to essential oils were higher than those of the FLU-susceptible yeasts.Conclusion: Results of this study indicated that the oils from medicinal plants could be used as potential anti- FLU-resistant C. albicans agents.

Background: Increasing azole resistance among Aspergillus strains was observed over the last decade. For this reason, viable alternatives for the current medicines are required. Objectives: The current study aimed at producing Fluconazole-loaded liposomal nanoparticles and comparing in vitro antifungal activity of Fluconazole and nano-Fluconazole on Aspergillus flavus and A. fumigatus species isolated from patients and poultry. Methods: Fifty isolates of A. flavus and A. fumigatus were collected from visceral and superficial fungal lesions of humans as well as pulmonary fungal infection of poultry. Liposomal nanoparticles were prepared by thin-film hydration method, using soybean lecithin, cholesterol, and Fluconazole in a ratio of 10: 1: 1. The nanoparticles were analyzed in terms of size, zeta potential, and morphology. Antifungal susceptibility testing was carried out to examine and evaluate the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of Fluconazole and nano-Fluconazole against Aspergillus species by the standard method of broth microdilution as described in CLSI (the clinical and laboratory standards institute)-M38A2. Results: The particle size of liposomes containing Fluconazole was 88. 9 12. 1 nm and its zeta potential was-20. 12 1. 88mv. Nanoliposomes containing Fluconazole significantly reduced the MIC against A. flavus (P = 0. 0005) and A. fumigatus (P < 0. 0001). Conclusions: The results of the current in vitro study showed that nano-Fluconazole has better antifungal effects than the common form of drug on A. flavus and A. fumigatus species. The current study showed the antifungal activity of nano-drugs.