Antifungal activity of vitamin D3 against Candida albicans in vitro and in vivo
Open accessAbstract
The incidence of intra-abdominal candidiasis (IAC), characterized by high morbidity and mortality, has become a serious concern. The limitations of current antifungal drugs on the market underscores the importance of the development of novel antifungal agents. In the present study, the antifungal activity of vitamin D 3 (VD 3) against various Candida species was investigated. In vitro, the broth microdilution method and solid plate assay confirmed that VD 3 inhibited the growth of Candida spp. in a broad-spectrum, dose-dependent manner. VD 3 also had a significant antifungal effect on the initiation, development, and maturation phases of biofilm formation in Candida albicans. The mechanism of VD 3 action was explored by transcriptomics and reverse transcription quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) analysis, and showed that VD 3 affects ribosome biogenesis, coenzyme metabolism, and carbon metabolism. These results suggested that VD 3 may have multitarget effects against C. albicans. In the murine IAC model, VD 3 reduced the fungal burden in the liver, kidneys, and small intestine. Further histopathological analysis and quantification of plasma cytokine levels confirmed that VD 3 treatment significantly decreased the infiltration of inflammatory cells and the levels of plasma interferon (IFN)-γ and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α. Taken together, these findings suggest a new antifungal mechanism for VD 3 and indicate that VD 3 could be an effective therapeutic agent for use in IAC treatment.
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“A study by Lei et al. [103] evaluated the antifungal activity of vitamin D3 (VD3) against various Candida species.”
- Authors
- Lei, J., Xiao, W., Zhang, J., Liu, F., Xin, C., Zhou, B., Chen, W., & Song, Z.
- Affiliations
- Southwest Medical University (CN)
- Corresponding author
- Chen, Wenbi
- Song, Zhangyong
- Venue
- Microbiological Research
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2022-12
- Volume
- 265
- Pages
- 127200
- ISSN
- 0944-5013 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W4296519201
- Cited by
- 39
- References
- 45
- Citations by year
- 2026: 6 · 2025: 19 · 2024: 4 · 2023: 10
- FWCI
- 4.03
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Licence
- www.elsevier.com/tdm/userlicense/1.0/ (tdm)
- www.elsevier.com/legal/tdmrep-license (tdm)
- www.elsevier.com/open-access/userlicense/1.0/ (vor, 365 d)
- doi.org/10.15223/policy-017 (stm-asf)
- doi.org/10.15223/policy-037 (stm-asf)
- doi.org/10.15223/policy-012 (stm-asf)
- doi.org/10.15223/policy-029 (stm-asf)
- doi.org/10.15223/policy-004 (stm-asf)
- Locations
- Microbiological Research (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Infectious Diseases › Antifungal resistance and susceptibility
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Pathology and Forensic Medicine › Vitamin D Research Studies
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Food Science › Essential Oils and Antimicrobial Activity
- Keywords
- vitamin D3, Candida albicans, intra-abdominal candidiasis, antifungal activity, biofilm formation, ribosome biogenesis, coenzyme metabolism, carbon metabolism, mouse infection model, inflammatory cytokines, interferon-gamma, TNF-α, novel antifungal agents
- MeSH terms
- Animals, Antifungal Agents, Candida, Candida albicans, Candidiasis, Carbon, Cholecalciferol, Coenzymes, Interferons, Microbial Sensitivity Tests, Cytokines, Tumor Necrosis Factors, Mice
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