• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
• /
• v.19 no.4
• /
• pp.433-435
• /
• 2002

Ceotrichum candidum was identified from 2 dogs among 52 dogs which had various dermatological problems. One was 5-month-old male Labrador and the other was 7-month-old female German Shepherd. The diagnosis was confirmed by direct microscopy of the specimen as well as cultured isolation of the fungus from the cutaneous lesions. The. organism showed septate hyphae and rectangular to cylindrical arthrospores and no blastospores. Urea was not utilized and no assimilation of maltose was observed. Clinical improvement was occurred by application of 2% gentian violet and 2% miconazole solutions. It is suggested that this organism should be included in the differential diagnosis of canine dermatitis.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.10 no.4
• /
• pp.547-550
• /
• 2000

The yeast Williopsis californica was shown to secrete a unique broad-spectrum killer toxin (Wicaltin) with antifungal activity against 14 yeast genera, including yeast-like and mycelial forms of the human pathogens Candida albicans and Sporothrix schenkii. Agar diffusion bioassays indicated that its activity was more pronounced than the antifungal potential of frequently used antimycotics; 0.07 pmol Wicaltin showed the same toxicity as 0.2 pmol miconazole and 29 pmol clotrimazole. Since the toxin's primary target would appear to be the yeast cell wall, Wicaltin may be attractive in combatting clinically relevant yeast and fungal infections.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
• /
• v.22 no.6
• /
• pp.559-564
• /
• 1999

In order to discover new cancer chemopreventive agents from natural or synthetic products, a structurally diverse class of chemopreventive agents was evaluated using in vitro biomarker of inhibition of 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol 13-acetate (TPA)-induced ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) activity in cultured mouse epidermal 308 (ME)308 cells. As a results, apigenin, benzylisothiocyanate, curcumin, diallyl disulfide, N-(4-hydroxyphenyl)retinamide (4-HPR), menadione, miconazole, nordihydroguaiaretic acid (NDGA) and phenethyl isothiocyanate showed potent inhibitory effects in this process. A chemically diverse group of compounds was included in the evaluation, such as flavonoids, retinoids, isothiocyanates, sulfur-containing compounds and phenolic antioxidant compounds. These data are suggestive to understand the cancer chemopreventive potential mediated by these substances.

• Advances in Traditional Medicine
• /
• v.5 no.1
• /
• pp.57-61
• /
• 2005

Ethanol and aqueous extracts of Cassia auriculata were tested in vitro against fungi (Candida albicans and Microsporum canis) and bacteria (Escherichia coli, Salmonella enteriditis, Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus subtilis). M. canis showed dose-dependent susceptibility only towards ethanol leaf and bark extracts. C. albicans, were resistant to all types of plant extracts. Results were statistically smaller to antifungal drug ketoconazole and miconazole at equivalent concentration. Both ethanol and aqueous extracts of Cassia auriculata leaves and barks exhibit antibacterial activity against S. aureus and only the ethanol extracts of leaf and bark were detected against Bacillus subtilis. The results were compared to antibacterial drugs chloramphenicol, ampicillin, penicillin G, and enrofloxacin. The antibacterial activity was statistically similar to penicillin G. Based on the current findings, it can be concluded that this plant has antimicrobial activity, which is as potent as standard antimicrobial drugs.

• Applied Biological Chemistry
• /
• v.33 no.3
• /
• pp.239-246
• /
• 1990

Monascus anka strains with higher pigment production were developed using UV mutation and natural selection. To obtain organic solvent soluble pigments from Monascus anka, the following culture conditions were compared : standing and shaking culture with Nishikawa's medium, and shaking culture with Lin's medium. Shaking culture in Lin's medium exhibited decrease in solvent-soluble intracellular pigments after initial increase. The decrease was accompanied by the increase in water-soluble extracellular pigments. Monascus anka preferred sucrose and ethanol among 7 carbon sources tested. Treatment of sterol biosynthesis inhibitors, $({\pm})$-miconazole and chlorocholine chloride(CCC) , directed carbon pool to the biosynthetic pathway leading to the pigments with CCC's more pronounced effect. Two dimensional TLC revealed at least 7 yellow pigments suggesting existence of hereto unreported pigment. One of the most abundant yellow pigments was isolated and found to be ankaflavin by NMR and MS analysis.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society for Bioinformatics Conference
• /
• 2005.09a
• /
• pp.139-143
• /
• 2005

Cytochrome P450 14${\alpha}$-sterol demethylase enzyme (CYP51) is the target a of azole type antifungals. The azole blocks the ergosterol synthesis and thereby inhibits fungal growth. A three-dimensional (3D) homology model of CYP51 from Candida albicans was constructed based on the X-ray crystal structure of CYP51 from Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Using this model, the binding modes for the substrate (24-methylene-24, 25-dihydrolanosterol) and the known inhibitors (fluconazole, voriconazole, oxiconazole, miconazole) were predicted from docking. Virtual screening was performed employing Structure Based Focusing (SBF). In this procedure, the pharmacophore models for database search were generated from the protein-ligands interactions each other. The initial structure-based virtual screening selected 15 compounds from a commercial available 3D database of approximately 50,000 molecule library, Being evaluated by a cell-based assay, 5 compounds were further identified as the potent inhibitors of Candida albicans CYP51 (CACYP51) with low minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) range. BMD-09-01${\sim}$BMD-09-04 MIC range was 0.5 ${\mu}$g/ml and BMD-09-05 was 1 ${\mu}$g/ml. These new inhibitors provide a basis for some non-azole antifungal rational design of new, and more efficacious antifungal agents.

• Advances in Traditional Medicine
• /
• v.3 no.4
• /
• pp.191-195
• /
• 2003

Euphorbia hirta, locally called 'ara tanah' or 'susun nabi' in Malaysia is a small annual herb common to the tropical countries and belongs to the same family as the tic and tapioca. E. hirta has had a long history of usage in the treatment of various ailments. In this current study, in vitro sensitivity test of crude aqueous and ethanol extracts of leaves and barks of E. hirta was carried out against bacteria (Escherichia coli, Salmonella enteritidis, Staphylocccus aureus and Bacillus subtilis) and fungi (Microsporum canis, Aspergillus fumigatus, Candida albicans and Candida tropicalis) using the discs diffusion method. The extract-impregnated discs (20, 40 and $80\;{\mu}g/{\mu}l$), the E. hirta extracts inhibited the growth of all the bacteria tested. The growth of C. albicans was inhibited in a concentration dependent manner by the aqueous leaves and barks extracts. C. tropicalis was found to be sensitive to the aqueous leaves extracts. The results were compared to antibacterial drugs of chloramphenicol, ampicilin, penicillin G, and enrofloxacine; and to antifungal drug of ketoconazole, itraconazole and miconazole. In this current study, it can be concluded that this plant has antimicrobial activity that is as potent as the standard antimicrobial drugs against certain microorganisms.

• Animal cells and systems
• /
• v.10 no.4
• /
• pp.203-209
• /
• 2006

Azoles are widely used antifungal agents, which inhibit the biosynthesis of fungal cell-membrane ergosterol. In this study, using an amphibian follicle culture system, the effects of azoles on follicular steroidogenesis in frogs were examined. Itraconazole (ICZ), clotrimazole (CTZ) and ketoconazole (KCZ) suppressed pregnenolone ($P_5$) production by the follicles ($ED_{50};\;0.04_{\mu}M,\;0.33_{\mu} M,\;and\;0.91_{\mu}M$, respectively) in response to frog pituitary homogenates (FPH). However, fluconazole (FCZ), miconazole (MCZ) and econazole (ECZ) were not effective in the suppression of $P_5$ production. Not all the azoles examined suppressed the conversion of exogenous $P_5$ to progesterone ($P_4$) (by $3{\beta}$- HSD) or $P_4$ to $17{\alpha}$-hydroxyprogesterone ($17{\alpha}$-OHP) (by $17{\alpha}$-hydroxylase), or androstenedione (AD) to testosterone (T) (by $17{\beta}$-HSD). In contrast, CTZ, MCZ and ECZ in medium partially suppressed the conversion of $17{\alpha}$-OHP to AD (by C17-20 lyase) ($ED_{50};\;0.25{\mu} M,\;4.5{\mu}M,\;and\;0.7{mu}M$, respectively) and CTZ, KCZ, ECZ and MCZ strongly suppressed the conversion of exogenous T to estradiol ($E_2$) (by aromatase) ($ED_{50};\;0.02{\mu}M,\;8{\mu}M,\;0.07{\mu}M,\;0.8{\mu}M$, respectively). These results demonstrated that some azole agents strongly suppress amphibian follicular steroidogenesis and particularly, P450scc and aromatase are more sensitive to azoles than other steroidogenic enzymes.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
• /
• v.39 no.3
• /
• pp.560-565
• /
• 1999

The present work was conducted to investigate the drug susceptibility of microorganisms isolated from canine external ear canals. Antifungal susceptibility test of M pachydermatis (17 strains) was perfomed by agar dilution method, using 11 antifungal drugs including amphotericin B(A), nystatin(N), pimaricin(P), griseofulvin(G), bifonazole(B), clotrimazole(C), miconazole(M), econazole(E), ketoconazole(K), tolnaftate(T), 5-fluorocytosine(F). All isolates were highly sensitive to K, M, T(geometric mean MIC ; GM $MIC{\leq}0.16{\mu}g/ml$) but they weren't sensitive to P, F and G(GM $MIC{\geq}92.37{\mu}g/ml{\sim}{\geq}128{\mu}g/ml$). Antibacterial susceptibility test against 119 isolates of bacteria was performed by agar dilution method, using 9 antibacterial drugs including erythromycin(ET), chloramphenicol(CP), gentamycin(G), vancomycin(V), ampicillin(AP), amoxacillin(AX), chlortetracycline(CT), ciprofloxacin(CF), enrofloxacin(EF). All isolates of Staphylococcus spp(101 strains) were highly sensitive to EF, CF, G(GM MIC $0.33{\sim}1.47{\mu}g/ml$). In other gram positive cocci(4 strains), they were highly sensitive to EF, CF, V(GM MIC $1{\sim}4.76{\mu}g/ml$) and CT(GM MIC 1 UFL unit/ml). In gram positive rods(13 strains), they were highly sensitive to EF, CF, G(GM $MIC{\leq}0.19{\sim}1{\mu}g/ml$). In Pseudomonas aeruginosa(1 strain), it was highly sensitive to AX, EF, ET, CF(GM MIC $0.06{\sim}1{\mu}g/ml$) and CT(GM MIC 1 UFL unit/ml). All isolates weren't sensitive to AP(GM MIC 16~>$32{\mu}g/ml$).

• Animal cells and systems
• /
• v.11 no.1
• /
• pp.1-8
• /
• 2007

Recently, we have shown that some endocrine disruptors, heavy metals, organotins and azoles suppressed steroidogenic enzymes such as P450 side-chain cleavage enzyme (P450scc) and aromatase in bullfrog ovarian follicles. In the present study, by using an amphibian ovarian follicle culture system, we examined the effects of these endocrine disruptors on maturation and ovulation of oocytes from Rana dybowskii in vitro. Ovarian fragments or isolated follicles were cultured for 24 h in a medium containing frog pituitary homogenate (FPH) or progesterone ($P_{4}$) with or without endocrine disruptors, and oocyte maturation (germinal vesicle breakdown, GVBD) and ovulation were examined. Among the organotins, tributyltin (TBT) strongly inhibited both FPH-and $P_{4}-induced$ oocyte maturation ($ED_{50}$:0.6 and 0.7 ${\mu}M$, respectively); however, tetrabutyltin (TTBT) and dibutyltin (DBT) showed only partial suppression, while monobutyltin (MBT) showed no inhibitory effect. All of the organotins suppressed $P_{4}-induced$ oocyte ovulation very effectively at a low concentration, and TBT and DBT exerted an inhibitory effect on FPH-induced ovulation. Among the heavy metals, mercury (Hg), cadmium (Cd) and cobalt (Co) were very effective in inhibiting FPH-induced oocyte maturation and ovulation, while lead (Pb), arsenite (As) and zinc (Zn) were less effective. However, all of the heavy metals suppressed FPH-induced oocyte ovulation at a high dose ($100{\mu}M$). Among the azoles, itraconazole (ICZ), ketoconazole (KCZ) and clotrimazole (CTZ) effectively inhibited FPH-induced oocyte maturation and ovulation, while econazole (ECZ), miconazole (MCZ) and fluconazole (FCZ) were considerably less effective. These results demonstrated that the abovementioned endocrine disruptors exhibited differential effects on oocyte maturation and ovulation in amphibian follicles and that the frog ovarian culture system could be used as an effective experimental tool to screen and evaluate the toxicity of various endocrine disruptors in vitro.