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. 2024 May 8;10(5):337.
doi: 10.3390/jof10050337.

Central Carbon Metabolism in Candida albicans Biofilms Is Altered by Dimethyl Sulfoxide

Maria Fernanda Cordeiro Arruda  1 , Romeu Cassiano Pucci da Silva Ramos  1 , Nicoly Subtil de Oliveira  2 , Rosimeire Takaki Rosa  3 , Patrícia Maria Stuelp-Campelo  3 , Luiz Fernando Bianchini  3 , Silas Granato Villas-Bôas  4 , Edvaldo Antonio Ribeiro Rosa  1   2   3
Affiliations

Central Carbon Metabolism in Candida albicans Biofilms Is Altered by Dimethyl Sulfoxide

Maria Fernanda Cordeiro Arruda et al. J Fungi (Basel). .

Abstract

The effect of dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) on fungal metabolism has not been well studied. This study aimed to evaluate, by metabolomics, the impact of DMSO on the central carbon metabolism of Candida albicans. Biofilms of C. albicans SC5314 were grown on paper discs, using minimum mineral (MM) medium, in a dynamic continuous flow system. The two experimental conditions were control and 0.03% DMSO (v/v). After 72 h of incubation (37 °C), the biofilms were collected and the metabolites were extracted. The extracted metabolites were subjected to gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS). The experiment was conducted using five replicates on three independent occasions. The GC/MS analysis identified 88 compounds. Among the 88 compounds, the levels of 27 compounds were markedly different between the two groups. The DMSO group exhibited enhanced levels of putrescine and glutathione and decreased levels of methionine and lysine. Additionally, the DMSO group exhibited alterations in 13 metabolic pathways involved in primary and secondary cellular metabolism. Among the 13 altered pathways, seven were downregulated and six were upregulated in the DMSO group. These results indicated a differential intracellular metabolic profile between the untreated and DMSO-treated biofilms. Hence, DMSO was demonstrated to affect the metabolic pathways of C. albicans. These results suggest that DMSO may influence the results of laboratory tests when it is used as a solvent. Hence, the use of DMSO as a solvent must be carefully considered in drug research, as the effect of the researched drugs may not be reliably translated into clinical practice.

Keywords: Candida albicans; biofilm; dimethyl sulfoxide; metabolic pathways; metabolomics.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Means of the relative abundances (<1.4) of the C. albicans SC5314 intracellular metabolites which showed statistically significant differences (p ≤ 0.05) between the control and DMSO groups. ACC = 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Means of the relative abundances (<14) of the C. albicans SC5314 intracellular metabolites which showed statistically significant differences (p ≤ 0.05) between the control and DMSO groups.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Means of the relative abundances (<250) of the C. albicans SC5314 intracellular metabolites which showed statistically significant differences (p ≤ 0.05) between the control and DMSO groups. 10,13-DMTDA = 10,13-dimethylthetradecanoic acid; GABA = 4-aminobutyric acid.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Metabolic pathways with their activity altered (p ≤ 0.05) by the presence of 0.03% (v/v) DMSO in C. albicans SC5314 biofilm samples. Pathways with an activity score (AS) less than 0 (zero) represent those downregulated by DMSO, and pathways with an AS greater than 0 (zero) represent those upregulated.
Scheme 1
Scheme 1
Proposed shifts in the metabolic network of C. albicans SC5314 altered by 0.03% (v/v) DMSO and assessed by GC/MS. Upregulated pathways and increased metabolites are represented in red, and downregulated pathways and reduced metabolites are depicted in blue. ⊗ = inhibition.
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