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Updated: Jun 9, 2026
06:45
Quantifying the Antifungal Activity of Peptides Against Candida albicans
Published on: January 13, 2023
Hydrocinnamic Acid From Candida albicans: Isolation, Characterization, and Antibacterial Activity Against
Megharethnam Kaviraj1, K R Jayappriyan1, Rathinam Raja2
1Centre for Advanced Studies in Botany, University of Madras, Chennai, India.
Biomedical Chromatography : BMC
|June 8, 2026
Summary
Researchers isolated hydrocinnamic acid from Candida albicans yeast, discovering its potential to inhibit multidrug-resistant bacteria like Staphylococcus aureus and E. coli.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Natural Product Chemistry
- Pharmacology
Background:
- Microbial secondary metabolites are vital sources of bioactive compounds.
- Yeasts, like Candida albicans, have significant metabolic capabilities for discovering new substances.
- The extracellular metabolome of C. albicans is an underexplored area for identifying therapeutic agents.
Purpose of the Study:
- To isolate and purify hydrocinnamic acid from C. albicans extracellular metabolites.
- To characterize the purified compound using various analytical techniques.
- To evaluate the antibacterial potential of hydrocinnamic acid against multidrug-resistant pathogens.
Main Methods:
- Development and optimization of a semi-preparative high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method for isolation.
- Characterization of the purified compound via UV-Vis, FTIR, NMR (1H and 13C), GC-MS, and X-ray diffraction.
- Assessment of antibacterial activity against multidrug-resistant strains of Staphylococcus aureus, Enterobacter cloacae, and Escherichia coli.
Main Results:
- Hydrocinnamic acid was successfully isolated and purified from C. albicans extracellular metabolites.
- The compound demonstrated concentration-dependent inhibition against tested multidrug-resistant bacteria.
- Effective minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) were observed: 10 μg/mL for S. aureus, 15 μg/mL for E. cloacae, and 40 μg/mL for E. coli.
Conclusions:
- This study reports the first isolation of hydrocinnamic acid from C. albicans extracellular metabolites.
- Hydrocinnamic acid exhibits promising antibacterial activity against key multidrug-resistant pathogens.
- C. albicans extracellular metabolites represent a valuable, yet underexplored, source for novel antibacterial agents.
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