Abstract
By inhibiting the conversion of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl CoA (HMG-CoA) to mevalonate, statins impair cholesterol metabolism in humans. We reasoned that statins might similarly interfere with the biosynthesis of ergosterol, the major sterol of the yeast cell membrane. As assessed by spectrophotometric and microscopic analysis, significant inhibition of biofilm production was noted after 16-h incubation with 1, 2.5, and 5 μM simvastatin, concentrations that did not affect growth, adhesion, or hyphal formation by C. albicans in vitro. Higher concentrations (10, 20, and 25 μM simvastatin) inhibited biofilm by >90% but also impaired growth. Addition of exogenous ergosterol (90 μM) overcame the effects of 1 and 2.5 μM simvastatin, suggesting that at least one mechanism of inhibition is interference with ergosterol biosynthesis. Clinical isolates from blood, skin, and mucosal surfaces produced biofilms; biofilms from bloodstream isolates were similarly inhibited by simvastatin. In the absence of fungicidal activity, simvastatin's interruption of a critical step in an essential metabolic pathway, highly conserved from yeast to man, has unexpected effects on biofilm production by a eukaryotic pathogen.
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Abbreviations
- YPD:
-
yeast peptone dextrose
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Acknowledgements
We thank Vladana Milisavljevic, M.D., Assistant Professor of Neonatology, UCLA, for technical advice regarding the biofilm assays, and Veronika Northrup, M.P.H., Biostatistical Support Unit, Yale Center for Clinical Investigation, for guidance regarding statistical methods. Mr. Geoffrey Liu won a Student Research Award from the Pediatric Academic Societies, Honolulu, May, 2008.
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Supported in part by the Jean McLean Wallace Professorship at Yale School of Medicine (M.K.H.).
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Liu, G., Vellucci, V., Kyc, S. et al. Simvastatin Inhibits Candida albicans Biofilm In Vitro. Pediatr Res 66, 600–604 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1203/PDR.0b013e3181bd5bf8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1203/PDR.0b013e3181bd5bf8
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