Evidence for the Mechanism of Action of the Antifungal Phytolaccoside B Isolated from Phytolacca tetramera Hauman
- 25 September 2008
- journal article
- research article
- Published by American Chemical Society (ACS) in Journal of Natural Products
- Vol. 71 (10), 1720-1725
- https://doi.org/10.1021/np070660i
Abstract
Phytolaccoside B (1), an antifungal monodesmoside triterpenoid glycoside isolated from berries of Phytolacca tetramera Hauman (Phytolaccaceae), alters the morphology of yeasts and molds. The malformations were similar to those produced by enfumafungin, a known inhibitor of (1→3)-β-d-glucan synthase, an enzyme that catalyzes the synthesis of (1→3)-β-d-glucan, one of the major polymers of the fungal cell wall. However, enzymatic assays revealed that 1 did not inhibit (1→3)-β-d-glucan synthase, but it did produce a notable enhancement of the chitin synthase 1 activity and, concomitantly, a rise in chitin, another important polymer of the fungal cell walls. This finding was corroborated by fluorescence microscopy and also by quantification of the chitin. In addition, a 2-fold increase in the thickness of the fungal cell wall was observed with transmission electronic microscopy. On the other hand, 1 neither bound to ergosterol nor caused hemolysis of red blood cells, although some fungal membrane damage was observed at the MIC of 1.Keywords
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