Antihypertensive, Amlodipine Besilate Inhibits Growth and Biofilm of Human Fungal Pathogen Candida.

Candida albicans and Candida glabrata are two important human pathogens associated with high mortality. The anti-Candida potential of an antihypertensive drug, amlodipine besilate (AB), was studied against 10 strains of Candida, including 8 clinical isolates. AB is an inhibitor of voltage-gated Ca(2+) channel (VGCC) of mammals. CCH1 expresses in a part of Ca(2+) channel of Candida, which is a homologue of α subunit of mammalian VGCC. In plate assays, all strains of Candida showed sensitivity to AB on agar media at 256 μg/mL concentration, AB caused lethality at concentrations of 16 and 64 μg/mL in clinical isolates of C. glabrata and all strains of C. albicans, respectively. Minimum fungicidal concentration (MFC) values of AB varied for different strains. The clinical isolates of C. glabrata turned out to be more susceptible to AB than those of C. albicans. At 16 μg/mL, AB showed reduction of biofilm in the range of 41.51%-79.66% for C. glabrata strains and 32.00%-54.06% for C. albicans strains. AB has shown potential antifungal properties against the laboratory strains and clinical isolates of C. glabrata and C. albicans. In conclusion, AB exhibited potential antifungal properties against planktonic form and biofilm of C. glabrata and C. albicans. It was more effective against C. glabrata than against C. albicans in vitro.