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Synthesis of Coumarin and Homoisoflavonoid Derivatives and Analogs: The Search for New Antifungal Agents
oleh: Alana R. Ferreira, Danielle da N. Alves, Ricardo D. de Castro, Yunierkis Perez-Castillo, Damião P. de Sousa
| Format: | Article |
|---|---|
| Diterbitkan: | MDPI AG 2022-06-01 |
Deskripsi
A set of twenty-four synthetic derivatives, with coumarin and homoisoflavonoid cores and structural analogs, were submitted for evaluation of antifungal activity against various species of <i>Candida.</i> The broth microdilution test was used to determine the Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) of the compounds and to verify the possible antifungal action mechanisms. The synthetic derivatives were obtained using various reaction methods, and six new compounds were obtained. The structures of the synthesized products were characterized by FTIR spectroscopy: <sup>1</sup>H-NMR, <sup>13</sup>C-NMR, and HRMS. The coumarin derivative <b>8</b> presented the best antifungal profile, suggesting that the pentyloxy substituent at the C-7 position of coumarin ring could potentiate the bioactivity. Compound <b>8</b> was then evaluated against the biofilm of <i>C. tropicalis</i> ATCC 13803, which showed a statistically significant reduction in biofilm at concentrations of 0.268 µmol/mL and 0.067 µmol/mL, when compared to the growth control group. For a better understanding of their antifungal activity, compounds <b>8</b> and <b>21</b> were submitted to a study of the mode of action on the fungal cell wall and plasma membrane. It was observed that neither compound interacted directly with ergosterol present in the fungal plasma membrane or with the fungal cell wall. This suggests that their bioactivity was due to interaction involving other pharmacological targets. Compound <b>8</b> was also subjected to a molecular modeling study, which showed that its antifungal action mechanism occurred mainly through interference in the redox balance of the fungal cell, and by compromising the plasma membrane; not by direct interaction, but by interference in ergosterol synthesis. Another important finding was the antifungal capacity of homoisoflavonoids <b>23</b> and <b>24</b>. Derivative <b>23</b> presented slightly higher antifungal activity, possibly due to the presence of the methoxyl substituent in the <i>meta</i> position in ring B.