BIO019 Determination of antifungal activity and isolation of chalcone resistant mutant of Trichophyton rubrum by ultraviolet light radiation

Abstract

The dermatophyte Trichophyton rubrum (T.rubrum) is the most frequent causative agent of superficial dermatomycoses in Brazil and worldwide. Despite the importance of dermatophytosis, there are a limited number of antifungals on the market due to lack of specific targets, because of the similarity between fungal and mammalian cells. The cell wall of fungi is essential for development of fungi and plays a critical role in host infection. Thus, the cell wall has become an important target for the development of antifungals with new mechanisms of action and low toxicity to humans. The chalcones are precursors of flavonoids biosynthesis that occur in plants as defensive molecules exhibiting significant antifungal activity. The mode of action for the most number of chalcones with antifungal activity has been related to the inhibition of the enzymes ? (1,3)-glucan and chitin synthase of fungal cell wall.