Influence of iron on growth and on susceptibility to itraconazole in Sporothrix spp

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Alessandra Helena da Silva Hellwig1, Danielle Machado Pagani2, Iasmin da Silva Rios3

  • 1Postgraduate Program in Medicine: Medical Sciences, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.

Medical Mycology
|December 11, 2020
PubMed

Insights

Iron availability impacts Sporothrix spp. growth and oxidative stress susceptibility. Combining itraconazole with deferasirox showed limited synergistic effects against Sporothrix schenckii.

Area of Science:

  • Mycology
  • Medical Mycology
  • Antifungal Research

Background:

  • Sporothrix species are fungal pathogens causing sporotrichosis.
  • Iron is essential for fungal growth and virulence.
  • Antifungal resistance is a growing concern in treating sporotrichosis.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the effect of iron availability on Sporothrix spp. growth and oxidative stress.
  • To evaluate the antifungal activity of itraconazole in combination with deferasirox against Sporothrix spp.

Main Methods:

  • Sporothrix spp. isolates were cultured in media with varying iron concentrations.
  • Conidial susceptibility to oxidative stress was assessed.
  • Antifungal susceptibility testing was performed for itraconazole alone and with deferasirox.

Main Results:

  • Sporothrix brasiliensis growth was more sensitive to iron availability than Sporothrix schenckii.
  • Iron supplementation increased conidial susceptibility to oxidative stress in both species.
  • Synergistic antifungal effects between itraconazole and deferasirox were observed in a small subset of S. schenckii isolates.

Conclusions:

  • Iron metabolism plays a role in Sporothrix spp. pathogenesis and stress response.
  • Deferasirox, an iron chelator, does not broadly enhance itraconazole's efficacy against Sporothrix spp.
  • Further research into iron-targeted therapies for sporotrichosis may be warranted.
Keywords:
Sporotrichosisdeferasiroxironitraconazolesubcutaneous mycosis

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