ArticleAntimicrobial agents and chemotherapy2007
Human beta-defensins kill Candida albicans in an energy-dependent and salt-sensitive manner without causing membrane disruption.
Article in Antimicrobial agents and chemotherapy, 2007. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 66 papers.
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Who cites it
66 citing papers in PubMed, 148 citations in OpenAlex.
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- Evaluation of the Antifungal Activity of the Polyphenol FormulationAntibiotics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Vitamin D-AMP axis in host defense against fungal infections.Frontiers in nutrition · 2026Review
- Novel antibacterial peptide HfAMP against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.BMC microbiology · 2025Article
- Human Defensins: Structure, Function, and Potential as Therapeutic Antimicrobial Agents with Highlights Against SARS CoV-2.Probiotics and antimicrobial proteins · 2025Review
- New Curcumin Analogue (PAC) InhibitsAntibiotics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Biofilm-Associated Candidiasis: Pathogenesis, Prevalence, Challenges and Therapeutic Options.Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
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- The Contribution of Human Antimicrobial Peptides to Fungi.International journal of molecular sciences · 2025Review
- Therapeutic potential of mesenchymal stem cells for fungal infections: mechanisms, applications, and challenges.Frontiers in microbiology · 2025Review
- The Antimicrobial Activity of Human Defensins at Physiological Non-Permeabilizing Concentrations Is Caused by the Inhibition of the Plasma Membrane HInternational journal of molecular sciences · 2024Article
- Review
- IκBζ is an essential mediator of immunity to oropharyngeal candidiasis.Cell host & microbe · 2023Article
- Anti-Candida Potential of Peptides from Immature and Ripe Fruits of Capsicum chinense Jacq.Probiotics and antimicrobial proteins · 2023Article
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- Defensins: defenders of human reproductive health.Human reproduction update · 2023Review
- Differential expression of antimicrobial peptides in human fungal keratitis.International journal of ophthalmology · 2023Article
- Systemic Candida albicans Infection in Mice Causes Endogenous Endophthalmitis via Breaching the Outer Blood-Retinal Barrier.Microbiology spectrum · 2022Article
- Antimicrobial Peptides with Anti-International journal of molecular sciences · 2022Review
- Identification of Candida glabrata Transcriptional Regulators That Govern Stress Resistance and Virulence.Infection and immunity · 2021Article
6 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
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Authors and funding
4 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
Human beta-defensin 2 (hBD-2) and hBD-3 have potent fungicidal activity in the micromolar range. Although little is known about their mechanism of action against Candida species, some similarities to the antifungal mechanism of salivary peptide histatin 5 (Hst 5) seem to exist. Since hBD-2 and hBD-3 have been reported to cause direct disruption of target cell membranes, we compared the effects of hBD-2 and hBD-3 on Candida albicans membrane integrity. Incubation of calcein-loaded C. albicans cells with a dose of hBD-2 lethal for 90% of the strains tested (LD(90)) resulted in a maximal dye efflux of only 10.3% +/- 2.8% at 90 min, similar to that induced by Hst 5. In contrast, an LD(90) of hBD-3 more than doubled calcein release from cells yet did not result in more than 24% of total release, showing that neither peptide caused gross membrane damage. As for Hst 5, killing of C. albicans cells by hBD-2 and hBD-3 was salt sensitive; however, Ca(2+) and Mg(2+) inhibited hBD-2 but not hBD-3 fungicidal activity. Pretreatment of C. albicans cells with sodium azide resulted in significantly decreased ATP release and susceptibility of cells to hBD-2 and hBD-3. However, hBD-3 killing was partially restored at concentrations of > or =0.8 microM, showing energy-independent mechanisms at higher doses. C. glabrata resistance to Hst 5, hBD-2, and hBD-3 is not a result of loss of expression of cell wall Ssa proteins. The candidacidal effects of hBD-2-hBD-3 and Hst 5-hBD-2 were additive, while the index of interaction between Hst 5 and hBD-3 was 0.717 (P < 0.05). Thus, the candidacidal action of hBD-2 shows many similarities to that of Hst 5 in terms of salt sensitivity, ion selectivity, and energy requirements while hBD-3 exhibits biphasic concentration-dependent mechanisms of candidacidal action complementary to those of Hst 5.
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