Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 8, 2026

Unveiling Xenobiotic Transport and Effects in Isolated Mitochondria: Insights from Respirometric and Enzymatic Assays
08:03

Unveiling Xenobiotic Transport and Effects in Isolated Mitochondria: Insights from Respirometric and Enzymatic Assays

Published on: March 7, 2025

Propamidine decreas mitochondrial complex III activity of Botrytis cinerea

Fangli Wu1, Weibo Jin, Juntao Feng

  • 1Center of Biopesticide Engineering and Technology, Northwest A & F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, China.

BMB Reports
|September 18, 2010
PubMed

Insights

Propamidine disrupts fungal mitochondria and inhibits respiration, likely by targeting mitochondrial complex III. This antimicrobial agent

Area of Science:

  • Mycology
  • Biochemistry
  • Antimicrobial research

Background:

  • Propamidine is an aromatic diamidine compound with established antimicrobial properties.
  • Understanding the precise mechanism of action against pathogenic fungi is crucial for its effective application.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the molecular mechanism of propamidine's antifungal activity.
  • To determine the effects of propamidine on the mitochondria of the pathogenic fungus *Botrytis cinerea*.

Main Methods:

  • Transmission electron microscopy was used to observe cellular changes.
  • Whole-cell and mitochondrial respiration assays were performed.
  • Mitochondrial complex III activity was measured.

Main Results:

  • Propamidine treatment led to the collapse and disruption of mitochondrial membranes in *Botrytis cinerea*.
  • Propamidine inhibited both whole-cell and isolated mitochondrial respiration.
  • Specifically, propamidine was found to inhibit the activity of mitochondrial complex III.

Conclusions:

  • Propamidine's antifungal effect is mediated through mitochondrial dysfunction.
  • The compound likely acts by inhibiting the electron transport chain within fungal mitochondria, specifically at complex III.
  • These findings elucidate a key aspect of propamidine's antimicrobial mechanism against *Botrytis cinerea*.

More Related Videos

A Screenable In Vivo Assay for Mitochondrial Modulators Using Transgenic Bioluminescent Caenorhabditis elegans11:43

A Screenable In Vivo Assay for Mitochondrial Modulators Using Transgenic Bioluminescent Caenorhabditis elegans

Published on: October 16, 2015

Related Concept Videos

The Electron Transport Chain01:30

The Electron Transport Chain

The electron transport chain or oxidative phosphorylation is an exothermic process in which free energy released during electron transfer reactions is coupled to ATP synthesis. This process is a significant source of energy in aerobic cells, and therefore inhibitors of the electron transport chain can be detrimental to the cell's metabolic processes.
Inhibitors of the electron transport chain
Rotenone, a widely used pesticide, prevents electron transfer from Fe-S cluster to ubiquinone or Q in...
Anthelminthic Agents01:15

Anthelminthic Agents

Anthelmintic drugs differ significantly from antiparasitic therapies targeting protozoa, primarily due to differences in parasite biology. Whereas most protozoal treatments act on proliferating cells, anthelmintics are typically directed against mature, nonproliferative helminths. The therapeutic approach considers the helminth's reliance on neuromuscular coordination, glucose metabolism, and microtubular integrity for survival, reproduction, and localization within the host. Most anthelmintics...
Antiprotozoal Agents01:21

Antiprotozoal Agents

Leishmaniasis is a widespread parasitic disease caused by several Leishmania species. It affects millions of people each year and remains a major public health problem in endemic regions. First-line treatment relies on pentavalent antimonials, including meglumine antimoniate and sodium stibogluconate. Even so, how these drugs work has not been fully clear, especially their interaction with parasite-specific biochemical pathways. One key target is trypanothione reductase (TR), an enzyme that...
Drugs that Destabilize Microtubules01:10

Drugs that Destabilize Microtubules

Microtubules are dynamic structures and can be regulated by microtubule targeting agents (MTAs). Microtubule destabilizing drugs are a class of MTAs that destabilize and prevent microtubules' polymerization. Both natural and synthetic chemicals can be found under this class of drugs. Vincristine and vinblastine, two vinca alkaloids, and colchicine were among the first to be discovered. These drugs can affect cells in various ways, either by inducing a change in cell morphology, preventing...
Electron Transport Chain: Complex I and II01:46

Electron Transport Chain: Complex I and II

The mitochondrial electron transport chain (ETC) is the main energy generation system in the eukaryotic cells. However, mitochondria also produce cytotoxic reactive oxygen species (ROS) due to the large electron flow during oxidative phosphorylation. While Complex I is one of the primary sources of superoxide radicals, ROS production by Complex II is uncommon and may only be observed in cancer cells with mutated complexes.
ROS generation is regulated and maintained at moderate levels necessary...
Antifungal Agents01:15

Antifungal Agents

Amphotericin B is a broad-spectrum antifungal agent that exploits structural differences between fungal and mammalian cell membranes. Its amphipathic structure—featuring a hydrophobic polyene-lactone ring and a hydrophilic region containing mycosamine and carboxylic acid groups—enables selective binding to ergosterol, a sterol predominantly found in fungal plasma membranes. This selective interaction underlies the drug’s antifungal activity, although weak binding to cholesterol contributes to...