ArticleMicrobial pathogenesis2025
The biofilm produced by Cryptococcus neoformans protects the fungus from the antifungal and anti-melanin effects of cyclosporine.
Article in Microbial pathogenesis, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
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Who cites it
1 citing paper in PubMed.
- Targeting biofilm-driven antibiotic resistance: emerging mechanisms and next-generation therapeutic interventions.Frontiers in microbiology · 2026Review
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Authors and funding
10 authors.
Funding
Abstract
Understanding Cryptococcus neoformans pathogenesis requires a detailed analysis of the various virulence factors that contribute to its ability to cause disease. Cyclosporine, calcineurin inhibitor, impairs C. neoformans production of a polysaccharide capsule and secretion of urease, which are critical for cryptococcal pathogenesis. Two particularly important virulence factors are the production of cell wall melanin and formation of biofilm. In this study, we investigated cyclosporine's effects on melanin production and biofilm formation in C. neoformans. Initially, we examined melanin production in planktonic cells treated with cyclosporine using an L-DOPA containing melanin-inducing medium. Visual inspection and optical microscopy revealed a notable reduction in the characteristic dark coloration of cultures treated with cyclosporine, which indicate decreased melanin production in daughter cells compared to mother cells. Spectrophotometric analysis also demonstrated a significantly altered ultraviolet-visible (UV/vis) absorption spectra in cyclosporine-treated yeast cells, indicative of structural changes in melanin. Additionally, cyclosporine-treated cells exhibited reduced conductance (P-value < 0.0001), suggesting altered cellular ionic properties. The impact of cyclosporine on biofilm formation and mature biofilm disruption was also assessed. Despite cyclosporine's efficacy in modifying virulence factors during planktonic growth, cyclosporine did not inhibit biofilm formation or melanization under biofilm growth conditions, nor did it disrupt mature biofilms in terms of biomass or metabolic activity. However, there was a significant reduction in extracellular matrix production in cyclosporine-treated non-melanized biofilms. Our findings underscore the complex interplay between cyclosporine and C. neoformans, highlighting its differential effects on melanization and biofilm dynamics, which provides new insights into the shortcomings of cyclosporin for combatting cryptococcosis and informs pathways for future therapeutic strategies against cryptococcosis.
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Registered trials
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