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. 2023 Feb 9;9(2):231.
doi: 10.3390/jof9020231.

Antifungal and Antibiofilm Activity of Riparin III against Dermatophytes

Emanuel Pereira Silva  1 , Marcelo Antônio Nóbrega da Rocha  1 , Risley Nikael Medeiros Silva  1 , Juliana Moura-Mendes  2 , Gabriela Ribeiro de Sousa  3 , Jailton de Souza-Ferrari  4 , José Maria Barbosa-Filho  3 , Edeltrudes de Oliveira Lima  5 , Fillipe de Oliveira Pereira  1
Affiliations

Antifungal and Antibiofilm Activity of Riparin III against Dermatophytes

Emanuel Pereira Silva et al. J Fungi (Basel). .

Abstract

The ability of dermatophytes to develop biofilms is possibly involved in therapeutic failure because biofilms impair drug effectiveness in the infected tissues. Research to find new drugs with antibiofilm activity against dermatophytes is crucial. In this way, riparins, a class of alkaloids that contain an amide group, are promising antifungal compounds. In this study, we evaluated the antifungal and antibiofilm activity of riparin III (RIP3) against Trichophyton rubrum, Microsporum canis, and Nannizzia gypsea strains. We used ciclopirox (CPX) as a positive control. The effects of RIP3 on fungal growth were evaluated by the microdilution technique. The quantification of the biofilm biomass in vitro was assessed by crystal violet, and the biofilm viability was assessed by quantifying the CFU number. The ex vivo model was performed on human nail fragments, which were evaluated by visualization under light microscopy and by quantifying the CFU number (viability). Finally, we evaluated whether RIP3 inhibits sulfite production in T. rubrum. RIP3 inhibited the growth of T. rubrum and M. canis from 128 mg/L and N. gypsea from 256 mg/L. The results showed that RIP3 is a fungicide. Regarding antibiofilm activity, RIP3 inhibited biofilm formation and viability in vitro and ex vivo. Moreover, RIP3 inhibited the secretion of sulfite significantly and was more potent than CPX. In conclusion, the results indicate that RIP3 is a promising antifungal agent against biofilms of dermatophytes and might inhibit sulfite secretion, one relevant virulence factor.

Keywords: alkamides; antifungal; dermatophytes; ex vivo; fungicide; riparin; sulfites.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Chemical structures of riparins I, II, and III (RIP3).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Effect of RIP3 on the biofilm biomass of dermatophytes expressed as absorbance of the crystal violet staining. The results are the means ± SD from three independent experiments. Significant difference (p < 0.05) when compared to drug-free growth control (a) and to CPX at the respective MIC value (b). OD, optical density; MIC, minimal inhibitory concentration; RIP3, riparin III; CPX, ciclopirox.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Effect of RIP3 on the viability of in vitro biofilms of dermatophytes determined by quantifying the number of colony-forming units (CFU). The results are the means ± SD from three independent experiments. Significant difference (p < 0.05) when compared to drug-free growth control (a) and to CPX at the respective MIC value (b). OD, optical density; MIC, minimal inhibitory concentration; RIP3, riparin III; CPX, ciclopirox.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Effect of RIP3 on the viability of ex vivo biofilms (nail fragments) of dermatophytes determined by quantifying the number of colony-forming units (CFU). The results are the means ± SD from three independent experiments. Significant difference (p < 0.05) when compared to drug-free growth control (a) and CPX at the respective MIC value (b). OD, optical density; MIC, minimal inhibitory concentration; RIP3, riparin III; CPX, ciclopirox.
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