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Planta Med 1996; 62(5): 415-418
DOI: 10.1055/s-2006-957929
Paper

© Georg Thieme Verlag Stuttgart · New York

Enhanced Diallyl Trisulfide has in vitro Synergy with Amphotericin B against Cryptococcus neoformans

Jinkun Shen1 , Larry E. Davis2 , Judy M. Wallace2 , Yen Cai2 , Larry D. Lawson3
  • 1Department of Microbiology, University of New Mexico School of Medicine, Albuquerque, New Mexico, U.S.A.
  • 2Departments of Microbiology and Neurology, University of New Mexico School of Medicine, Albuquerque, New Mexico, U.S.A. and Neurology Service, Albuquerque Veterans Affairs Medical Center, 2100 Ridgecrest Dr., Albuquerque, New Mexico 87108, U.S.A.
  • 3Murdock Madaus Schwabe Group, 10 Mountain Springs Parkway, Springville, Utah 84663, U.S.A.
Further Information

Publication History

1995

1996

Publication Date:
04 January 2007 (online)

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Abstract

Although amphotericin B remains the drug of choice for systemic fungal infections, its use is limited by considerable side effects. In The Peoples' Republic of China, commercial Allium sativum derived compounds are widely used as an antifungal drug to treat systemic fungal infections. To evaluate the scientific merit of using A. sativum derived compounds as antifungal agents, we studied a Chinese commercial preparation, allitridium. This preparation contained mainly diallyl trisulfide as confirmed by highperformance liquid chromatography. Allitridium, with and without amphotericin B, was tested to determine its efficacy in killing three isolates of Cryptococcus neoformans. The minimum inhibitory concentration of the commercial preparation was 50 µg/ml and the minimum fungicidal concentration was 100 µg/ml against 1 × 105 organisms of C. neoformans. In addition, the commercial preparation was shown to be synergistic with amphotericin B in the in vitro killing of C. neoformans. This study demonstrates that diallyl trisulfide and other polysulfides possess potent in vitro fungicidal effects and their activity is synergistic with amphotericin B. These observations lend laboratory support for the treatment of cryptococcal infections with both amphotericin B and the Chinese commercial preparation.

Key words

Amphotericin B - garlic - Cryptococcus neoformans - Allium sativum - Alliaceae - allitridium - diallyl trisulfide

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