Suppression of hyphal formation and virulence of Candida albicans by natural and synthetic compounds

Abstract

Candida albicans undergoes a morphological yeast-to-hyphal transition during infection, which plays a significant role in its pathogenesis. The filamentous morphology of the hyphal form has been identified as a virulence factor as it facilitates surface adherence, intertwining with biofilm, invasion, and damage to host tissues and organs. Hence, inhibition of filamentation in addition to biofilm formation is considered a viable strategy against C. albicans infections. Furthermore, a good understanding of the signaling pathways involved in response to environmental cues driving hyphal growth is also critical to an understanding of C. albicans pathogenicity and to develop novel therapies. In this review, first the clinical significance and transcriptional control of C. albicans hyphal morphogenesis are addressed. Then, various strategies employed to suppress filamentation, prevent biofilm formation, and reduce virulence are discussed. These strategies include the inhibition of C. albicans filament formation using natural or synthetic compounds, and their combination with other agents or nanoformulations.

Keywords:

• C. albicans
• biofilm
• hyphae
• natural products
• virulence factor
• synthetic compounds

Disclosure statement

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Ethical approval

This article does not contain any studies with human participants or animals performed by any of the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by Basic Science Research Program through the National Research Foundation of Korea, funded by the Ministry of Education (NRF-2019R1A2C1087156 and 2021R1A6A1A03039211).