The frequency of mycoses caused by drug-resistant fungal pathogen Candida albicans has increased drastically over the last two decades. The spread of drug-resistant strains, along with the limitations of currently available antifungals, complicates the management of fungal infections, thereby representing great challenges for clinical healthcare. Among various antimicrobial pharmacophores, 2(5H)-furanone derivatives have demonstrated antimicrobial, antifungal, and antibiofilm activities. In this study, we report the antifungal activity of the 2(5H)-furanone derivative F105, consisting of three pharmacophores, namely chlorinated 2(5H)-furanone, sulfonyl group, and l-menthol moiety. Although exhibiting moderate antifungal activity alone with the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values of 32-256 μg/mL, F105 potentiates the activity of fluconazole and terbinafine with fractional inhibitory concentration index (FICI) values of 0.27-0.50. Thus, 16 μg/mL of F105 reduced the MICs of these antifungals against fluconazole-resistant C. albicans isolates four-fold, achieving similar values as for the intermediately susceptible phenotype. Confocal laser scanning microscopy revealed that the fluorescent 2(5H)-furanone derivative F145 was also able to penetrate through biofilms formed by C. albicans. Indeed, in the presence of F105, even sub-MIC concentrations of both fluconazole and terbinafine led to significant reduction of C. albicans CFUs in the mature biofilm. Thus, F105 appears to be a promising candidate for the development of novel antifungal agents as well as enhancers of current antifungal agents, particularly for the treatment of drug-resistant C. albicans infections.
Keywords: 2(5H)-furanones; Candida albicans; biofilm; drug resistance; synergy.