Vitamin D: A Promising Antifungal and Antibiofilm Agent Against Species

Background And Purpose: species are opportunistic fungal pathogens that cause mild to life-threatening infections in both immunocompetent and immunocompromised populations. The increasing prevalence of drug-resistant species has posed a significant challenge to the management of infections in clinical settings. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the direct antifungal and antibiofilm effect of vitamin D against species.

Materials And Methods: The antifungal activity of vitamin D was evaluated by broth microdilution method based on the Clinical and Laboratory Standard Institute. Prevention of biofilm formation by was measured using the XTT assay following exposure to different concentrations of vitamin D. Moreover, expression of gene 1 (1), gene (1), 6 gene (6), and gene (1) were analyzed by real-time polymerase chain reaction using the comparative Ct method (ΔΔ Ct) after exposure to vitamin D.

Results: Vitamin D showed antifungal activity against species ranging from 1-128 μg/mL. Furthermore, vitamin D inhibited biofilm formation in a dose-dependent manner, with IC50 of 7.5 μg/mL. Treatment with vitamin D resulted in significant upregulation of the 1, 1, and 6 genes under hypha-inducing conditions to overcome environmental challenges.

Conclusion: Results of the current study demonstrated that vitamin D has a significant inhibitory effect on growth and biofilm formation. Considering its demonstrated antifungal and antibiofilm properties, vitamin D holds promise as a potential agent for medical applications.