Study of the pathogenesis of mono/polymicrobial dermatophytes biofilms in ex vivo models and application of control strategies.

• Grant number: 23/03556-1
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Start date: October 01, 2023
• End date: November 30, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Pharmacy
• Principal Investigator: Maria José Soares Mendes Giannini
• Grantee: Maria José Soares Mendes Giannini
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas (FCFAR). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Araraquara. Araraquara , SP, Brazil
• Associated researchers: Ana Marisa Fusco Almeida ; Angel Augusto Gonzalez Marin ; Lorena Rigo Gaspar Cordeiro ; Orville Hernandez Ruiz ; Silvya Stuchi Maria-Engler
• Associated scholarship(s): 25/06625-0 - Antifungal evaluation of the association of terbinafine with potential antifungals encapsulated in nanostructured lipid carriers and incorporated in hydrogels against biofilms in onychomycosis models, BP.PD; 24/20941-9 - Biofilm study of Microsporum canis and the correlation with virulence and pathogenicity, BP.IC

Abstract

Dermatophytes are fungi that affect keratinized tissues such as skin, hair, and nails, causing dermatophytoses. The main agents can be anthropophilic (Trichophyton rubrum and the Trichophyton mentagrophytes/T. interdigitale complex) and zoophilic (Microsporum canis). In some cases, the lesions of these fungi are associated with bacteria and yeasts, resulting in an aggravated infectious condition that is difficult to cure. These infections remain relatively understudied, particularly the mechanisms used by dermatophytes to adhere to and invade host tissue and the role of mono/polymicrobial biofilms. The mycosis pathogenesis has not yet been wholly unraveled due to the difficulty in obtaining suitable models for studying these infections. In recent years, there has been an increase in the appreciation of biofilms' role in human medicine, but in some mycotic diseases, there is still a need to prove biofilms in vivo or in ex vivo models, as well as biomarkers of the infection. In addition, the number of commercial antifungal agents is limited and recalcitrant infections may be extensive and poorly responsive to drugs due to resistance or therapeutic failures. Therefore, the importance of the search for new molecules and effective methods, mainly against microbial biofilms, must be emphasized. For the study of the fungus-host interaction, experimental models that simulate infectious processes in vivo are of fundamental importance for the analysis of the expression of proteins and genes involved in the pathogenesis, as well as in the development of new drugs. Therefore, we intend to evaluate the mechanisms involved in fungal infection by the dermatophytes T. rubrum and M. canis, C. albicans and S. epidermidis in the form of mono/polymicrobial biofilms using ex vivo experimental models of skin (reconstituted and spheroids), hair and nails, in addition to evaluating the sensitivity profile of T. rubrum and T. mentagrophytes by different forms of control. (AU)

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

BILA, NIURA MADALENA; VASO, CAROLINA ORLANDO; BELIZARIO, JENYFFIE ARAUJO; ASSIS, LETICIA RIBEIRO; REGASINI, LUIS OCTAVIO; FONTANA, CARLA RAQUEL; FUSCO-ALMEIDA, ANA MARISA; COSTA-ORLANDI, CAROLINE BARCELOS; MENDES-GIANNINI, MARIA JOSE SOARES. Toxicological Assessment of 2-Hydroxychalcone-Mediated Photodynamic Therapy: Comparative In Vitro and In Vivo Approaches. PHARMACEUTICS, v. 16, n. 12, p. 14-pg., 2024-12-01. (20/15586-4, 19/22188-8, 21/03805-6, 18/02785-9, 17/18388-6, 23/03556-1)

PRATES, JOAO LUCAS BRUNO; SILVA, SAMANTA DE MATOS; MEDINA-ALARCON, KAILA PETROLINA; DOS SANTOS, KELVIN SOUSA; BELIZARIO, JENYFFIE ARAUJO; LOPES, JULIANA ROMANO; MARIN-DETT, FREDDY HUMBERTO; CAMPOS, DEBORA LEITE; GIANNINI, MARIA JOSE SOARES MENDES; FUSCO-ALMEIDA, ANA MARISA; et al. Synthesis and Evaluation of Boron-Containing Heterocyclic Compounds with Antimicrobial and Anticancer Activities. Molecules, v. 30, n. 5, p. 27-pg., 2025-03-01. (22/15826-0, 19/07574-9, 23/01664-1, 23/03556-1, 23/05739-6)