Background: The limited availability of antifungal drugs for candidiasis and the persistent problem of drug resistance, necessitates the urgent development of new antifungal drugs and alternative treatment options.
Research design and methods: This study examined the synergistic antifungal activity of the combination of eravacycline (ERV) and fluconazole (FLC) both in vitro by microdilution checkerboard assay and in vivo by Galleria mellonella model. The underlying synergistic mechanisms of this drug combination was investigated using RNA-sequencing and qPCR.
Results: ERV (2 μg/mL) + FLC (0.25-0.5 μg/mL) had strong synergistic antifungal activity against resistant Candida albicans (C. albicans) in vitro, as evidenced by a fractional inhibitory concentration index of 0.0044-0.0088. In vivo experiments in Galleria mellonella larvae infected with resistant C. albicans revealed that ERV (2 μg/larva) + FLC (1 μg/larva) improved survival rates and reduced fungal burden. The results of RNA-sequencing and qPCR showed that the mechanism of synergistic inhibition on resistant C. albicans was related to the inhibition of DNA replication and cell meiosis.
Conclusions: These results indicate that the combination of ERV and FLC effectively inhibits resistant C. albicans both in vitro and in vivo and lay the foundation for a potential novel treatment option for candidiasis.
Keywords: Eravacycline; RNA-sequencing; fluconazole; qPCR; resistant candida albicans; synergy.