Editorial
Copyright ©2010 Baishideng Publishing Group Co., Limited. All rights reserved.
World J Biol Chem. Feb 26, 2010; 1(2): 21-30
Published online Feb 26, 2010. doi: 10.4331/wjbc.v1.i2.21
HIV aspartyl protease inhibitors as promising compounds against Candida albicans André Luis Souza dos Santos
André Luis Souza dos Santos
André Luis Souza dos Santos, Laboratory of Multidisciplinary Studies on Microbial Biochemistry, Department of General Microbiology, Institute of Microbiology Prof. Paulo de Góes, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ 21941-902, Brazil
Author contributions: dos Santos ALS solely contributed to this paper.
Supported by Grants from the Brazilian Agencies: CNPq (Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico), CAPES (Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento Pessoal de Nível Superior) and FAPERJ (Fundação Carlos Chagas Filho de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado do Rio de Janeiro); the author was supported by a CNPq fellowship
Correspondence to: André Luis Souza dos Santos, Associate Professor, Laboratory of Multidisciplinary Studies on Microbial Biochemistry, Department of General Microbiology, Institute of Microbiology Prof. Paulo de Góes, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ 21941-902, Brazil. andre@micro.ufrj.br
Telephone: +55-21-25983035 Fax: +55-21-25608344
Received: January 20, 2010
Revised: February 18, 2010
Accepted: February 23, 2010
Published online: February 26, 2010
Abstract

Cells of Candida albicans (C. albicans) can invade humans and may lead to mucosal and skin infections or to deep-seated mycoses of almost all inner organs, especially in immunocompromised patients. In this context, both the host immune status and the ability of C. albicans to modulate the expression of its virulence factors are relevant aspects that drive the candidal susceptibility or resistance; in this last case, culminating in the establishment of successful infection known as candidiasis. C. albicans possesses a potent armamentarium consisting of several virulence molecules that help the fungal cells to escape of the host immune responses. There is no doubt that the secretion of aspartyl-type proteases, designated as Saps, are one of the major virulence attributes produced by C. albicans cells, since these hydrolytic enzymes participate in a wide range of fungal physiological processes as well as in different facets of the fungal-host interactions. For these reasons, Saps clearly hold promise as new potential drug targets. Corroborating this hypothesis, the introduction of new anti-human immunodeficiency virus drugs of the aspartyl protease inhibitor-type (HIV PIs) have emerged as new agents for the inhibition of Saps. The introduction of HIV PIs has revolutionized the treatment of HIV disease, reducing opportunistic infections, especially candidiasis. The attenuation of candidal infections in HIV-infected individuals might not solely have resulted from improved immunological status, but also as a result of direct inhibition of C. albicans Saps. In this article, we review updates on the beneficial effects of HIV PIs against the human fungal pathogen C. albicans, focusing on the effects of these compounds on Sap activity, growth behavior, morphological architecture, cellular differentiation, fungal adhesion to animal cells and abiotic materials, modulation of virulence factors, experimental candidiasis infection, and their synergistic actions with classical antifungal agents.

Keywords: Candida albicans; Aspartyl protease; Proteolytic inhibitors; Human immunodeficiency virus; Chemotherapy