Evaluation of the anti-Candida effect of Garlic, Shallot and Onion to inhibit the quorum sensing activity

Abstract

Recently, the incidence of systemic candidiasis which is caused by Candida albicans has been increased. Usually, for treatment of systemic fungal infections, azoles such as fluconazole are used. Despite of this, overuse of drugs has caused an extra increasing of the drugs resistance. One of the best strategies to decrease the resistance phenomenon is finding the new derivatives originated from plants instead of chemical antifungals. In the present study the potential of Garlic, Shallot and Onion for growth inhibition of Candida albicans were evaluated by use of inhibition zone termination (Disk Diffusion Agar test) and relative MIC (Broth Microdilution test). Time kill study was also erformed to indicate the rate of anti-Candida activity of plant-extracts tested in different time intervals. Finally, the expression of selected gene involved in Quorum Sensing such as TUP1 was evaluated by semi-quantitative RT-PCR. The result have shown significant in vitro potential of those plants to inhibit Candida albicans growth, which is need further investigations to find its main mechanisms. In addition, the extracts were not able to demonstrate their ability to significant decrease of the selected gene expression. Therefore, further investigation will be needed to find the probable targets of garlic, onion and shallot on the Quorum Sensing phenomenon of C. albicans.

Full text

ABR Vol 7 [1] January 2016 125 | P a g e ©2016 Society of Education, India
Advances in Bioresearch
Adv.Biores.,Vol7(1)January2016:125-132
©2015SocietyofEducation,India
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Evaluation of the Anti-Candida effect of Garlic, Shallot and Onion
to inhibit the Quorum Sensing Activity
Elahe Hamdi1,2, Alireza Khodavandi3
1DepartmentofMicrobiology,ScienceandResearchBranch,IslamicAzadUniversity,Fars,Iran
2DepartmentofMicrobiology,Shirazbranch,IslamicAzadUniversity,Shiraz,Iran
3DepartmentofMedicalSciences,GachsaranBranch,IslamicAzadUniversity,Gachsaran,Iran
Correspondence:AlirezaKhodavandi;email:Khodavandi@iaug.ac.ir

ABSTRACT
Recently, the incidence of systemic candidiasis which is caused by Candida albicans has been increased. Usually, for
treatment of systemic fungal infections, azoles such as fluconazole are used. Despite of this, overuse of drugs has caused
an extra increasing of the drugs resistance. One of the best strategies to decrease the resistance phenomenon is finding
the new derivatives originated from plants instead of chemical antifungals. In the present study the potential of Garlic,
Shallot and Onion for growth inhibition of Candida albicans were evaluated by use of inhibition zone determination
(Disk Diffusion Agar test) and relative MIC (Broth Microdilution test). Time kill study was also performed to indicate the
rate of anti-Candida activity of plant-extracts tested in different time intervals. Finally, the expression of selected gene
involved in Quorum Sensing such as TUP1 was evaluated by semi-quantitative RT-PCR. The result have shown
significantin vitro potential of those plants to inhibit Candida albicans growth, which is need further investigations to
find its main mechanisms. In addition, the extracts were not able to demonstrate their ability to significant decrease of
the selected gene expression. Therefore, further investigation will be needed to find the probable targets of garlic, onion
and shallot on the Quorum Sensing phenomenon of C. albicans.
Key words: MIC, Time kill, Candida albicans, Shallot, Garlic, Onion.

Received10/09/2015Accepted21/12/2015©2016SocietyofEducation,India
How to cite this article:
ElaheH,AlirezaK.EvaluationoftheAnti-CandidaeffectofGarlic,ShallotandOnion toinhibittheQuorumSensing
Activity.Adv.Biores.,Vol7[1]January2016:125-132. DOI:10.15515/abr.0976-4585.7.1.125132
INTRODUCTION
Thedimorphicyeast,Candida albicans,isacommensalorganismwhichiscommonlyfoundinoralcavity,
gastrointestinaltract,female’sgenitaltractandoccasionallyonthesurfaceofskinandmucousmembrane
[1].Candida albicanscan be isolated from approximately70%ofthehealthypopulation. It is the fourth
leadingcauseof nosocomialbloodstreaminfections,withmortalityrateof 37–44% inseverelyimmune-
compromisedpatients.Candidaspp.isthemostcommoncauseofopportunisticmycosesanditsinfection
generally referred to as candidiasis, which can be further classified into superficial candidiasis,
mucocutaneous candidiasis and systemic or invasive candidiasis [2]. Superficial candidiasis is relatively
commonascomparedwithsystemiccandidiasisduetoitsseriousinfectionthatcanbefatal.Superficial
infections of C. albicans could worsen into invasive form and disseminate elsewhere in the body [3].
Virulentfactorsthatcontributetocandidiasisaremainlyundefinedandunderinvestigation.Thevirulent
factors include secreted protease, phospholipase and the ability to change morphology from budding
yeastcellsintohyphal,filamentousorevenmycelialcellsform,adheretothehostcellsandsubsequently
penetratehosttissuesremainsanimportantvirulentdeterminantforinvasiveinfection. Morphogenesis
in C. albicans has been extensively investigated in vitro [4]. Although, a number of transcriptional
regulators have been characterized as main factor in regulating th e yeast-to-hyphal shift, many of the
targetgenesinvolvedinmorphogenesishavenotbeenidentified.Recently,quorumsensing(QS)hasbeen
described as a phenomenon con tributing to morphogenic control in C. albicans. One of the conditions
whichdefinetheyeast-to-hyphalshiftinvitroisdependenceoncelldensitytodeterminemorphogenesis;
thishasbeen called "inoculumeffect"inwhichthis term has beenassociatedwithregulationby QS.The
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"inoculumeffect"isseenwhenyeastcellsaredilutedtoconcentrationslessthan106cellsml-1)inculture
medium to germinate into the hyphal form under certain conditions [5]. However, cells which are
inoculatedathigherconcentrations(>106cellsml-1),predominantlyremaininayeaststate.Candidiasisis
normally treatedwith antimycotics, which arethecommonused antifungal drugs inhospitals.Fornon-
severe clinical condition, the used antifungal drugs are including topical clotrimazole, topical nystatin,
fluconazole and topical ketonazole, while for severe infection, amphotericin B, caspofungin or
variconazole may be used. Moreover, these antifungal drugs often have side effects, and more efforts
warrantedtofindnewertreatmentregimensforsaferandmoreeffective treatment.Also,Azolesdisrupt
ergosterol biosynthesis in fungi resulting in the formation of cell membrane with altered structure and
function[6].
Ithasbeen demonstrated that theantimicrobial activity ofplantsarerelatedto both theallylandsulfur
groupsinthiosulfinates,peptides,alkaloidandetc.Withanemphasisonaboveinformation,plantextracts
andtheircompoundscanbeusedasapotentialcheap,affordableantifungalagentwithfewersideeffects
[7,8,9].So,theaimofthisstudyistoevaluateantifungalactivityofGarlic,ShallotandOnionongrowthof
Candida albicansisolates,witheffectongenesinvolvedinquorumsensing.
Material and Methods
10clinicalisolatesofCandida albicans wereobtained from microbiologicallaboratoriesofMadaranand
Labafinezhad Hospital. All samples were isolated from patient’s with syst emic candidiasis. For control
strains,C. albicansATCC10231wasemployed.Eachsamplewasmaintainedassterile20%(v/v)glycerol
stocksand subculturedonSabourauddextroseagar at35–37Cfor24-48htoensureviabilityandpurity
priortotesting.
Plantsextractpreparation
Thefreshplantswerewashedwithdistilledwater,sliced anddriedin theovenfor atleasttwodaysand
thenpowdered,accordingtoresearcher(10).Atotalweightof1goffreshplantspowderwasaddedin10
mlofdistilledwatertoprepareastocksolutionof100 mgml-1(w⁄v).Theextract wasallowedtostand
for30mininroomtemperatureandthencentrifugedat5000rpmfor10min.Thesupernatantfluidwas
passedthroughasterile0.22μmfilter(Millipore,UK).Therequiredconcentrationwaspreparedbyserial
dilutionofthestocksolutions.
Determination of antimicrobial activity
According to the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) for yeast cell with some slight
modification, paper disks of 6 mm in diameter were prepared using Whatman filter paper for disc
diffusionmethod.Thepaperdiskswereautoclavedat121°Cfor20minbeforeuse.Thestocksolutionsof
100 mg/ml of extracts were prepared by dissolving 100 mg of extracti nto1 ml solvent. Serial ten-fold
dilution was carried out to make different concentrations of plant extracts. Amphotericin B (10 μg),
Nistatin(50μg)andketoconazole(15μg)werealsousedasastandardcontrolantifungaldrug.Eventually,
5μlof each concentrationof plant extractswere loadedseparately on paperdisks and were allowed to
dry completely for 30 min. Clinical Candida albicans and ATCC(10231) were grown on separate
Sabouraud’s dextrose agar (SDA) and then passage three times to ensure its viability and activity.
Inoculumwerepreparedbypickingfivecoloniesof≥1mmindiameterfrom24hcultureofCandida using
5ml of PBSbuffer.Following,theinoculumwerecentrifugedand the supernatant was removedandthe
cell pellet was washed with PBS buffer and aga in centrifuged for 5 min. These steps were repeated at
leastthreetimes. The cell densitywasadjustedfrom1 × 106 to5×106cfu/ml usingspectrophotometric
methodat 530 nmtoachievetheturbidityequivalentto0.5 McFarland standards. Workingsuspensions
were prepared by the stock solution with ratio 1:100 with PBS followed by 1:20 dilution with same
solutiontoproduce5×102–2.5×103yeastcells/ml.ThedilutedcultureswerespreadonSDAusinga
sterilecottonswab.Theculture plates were kept at room temperaturefor15mintodry.Subsequently,
theplantextractdiskswereappliedontheagarandkeptagainatroomtemperaturefor15minandthen
incubatedat37°Cfor24h.Atlast,thediameterofzoneofinhibitionwasmeasured.
The plant extracts were examined in terms of antifungal activities through the determination of MIC,
according to CLSI documents with slight modifications. 100 μlof the two fold dilution of the antifungal
agentswhichdissolvedinSabouraud’sdextrosebroth(SDB)(Fluka,Germany),wereinoculatedwith100
μlofinoculumcontainingbetween5×102to2.5×103yeastcfu/mlusing U-bottom96-wellmicroplates
(Brand781660,Wertheim,Germany).Themicroplates,includingplantextractsandcells,wereincubated
at35°Cfor24hMICsweremeasuredat530nmusinganEMaxsmicro-platereader.Time-killmethodsas
detailedabovewereutilizedwiththefollowingmodifications.Theinoculumforeachisolatewerestudied
againstonion,shallot, and garlic1× 106 cell/ml. Antifungalsweretestedat concentrations equalto2×
MIC for each isolate. Test samples were incubated at 35°C with agitatio n. Aliquots were removed from
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each test solution for colony count determination at 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 12, and 24 h following
inoculation. The plating procedures described above were followed for high- and medium-inoculum
samples; however, the limit of fungal quantitati on was lowered to approximately 30 CFU/ml for each
isolate in the low-inoculum group. This was accomplished by pla ting 100 μl of the test sample directly
onto an RPMI 1640 agar plate without dilution. Plates were incubated at 35°C for 24-48 h prior to
determinationofcolony counts.Allexperimentswereconductedinduplicate.Simultaneously,alongthis
stage,microscopicinvestigation atthetimeof 0,24and48hourswithextracts effects performedandas
control,alloftheseprocesseshadbeendonewithoutextracts[11].
Preparationofproperconditionforquorumsensingincandida albicansATCC10231:
Yeast cells were washed in phosphat e buffer saline and adjusted to a cell density of 1×106cells/ml in
RPMI-1640.L-glutamine(Sigma),10% fetalbovineserum(FBS)and 100Uml–1penicillin-streptomycin
(bothfromGibco,Invitrogen)wereaddedtothemixture.Thecellswereincubatedat37°Cwith5%CO2.
RNA extraction and cDNA synthesis
A suspension containing different concentratio ns of antifungal agents and 1×106 cells/ml of C. albicans
ATCC10231were prepared. Subsequently, themixturewascentrifugedat3000 rpm for10minand the
supernatantwasremoved.The cells werewashedwithapproximately2mlof PBS,andthencentrifuged
at3000rpmfor10 minandthesupernatantwereremoved.Thewashingprocesswas repeatedatleast
three times. Subsequently, total RN A was extracted using RNeasy mini kit (Qiagen,  Germany) for yeast
and treated with 1U DNase I (Promega, UK). RNA quality was checked by formaldehyde-denaturing
agarose gel electrophoresis at 70 V for 45 min and also the concentration and absorption ratio of RNA
was measured for purity estimation using the Nanodrop ND-1000 spectrophotometer. According to
manufacturer’sprotocol,singlestrandedcDNAwassynthesized(approximately0.5–1μg)fromRNAusing
MoloneyMurineLeukemiaVirus(M-MuLV)reversetranscriptaseandrandomhexameroligonucleotides
(Fermentas,USA).Thereversetranscriptionreactionswereperformedatleastintriplicates.
Semi-quantitative RT-PCR
Candida albicansTUP1 gene was amplified from the synthesized cDNA. In this study, the pri mers used
were established by other investigators (Table 1). Moreover, beta actin was established as a house-
keepinggeneandinternalcontroltonormalizethedissimilarRNAconcentrationsduringRNAextraction.
Furthermore,foreachsampleaninternalnegativecontrol (withoutM-MuLV reverse transcriptase) was
performedtoensurethatthePCRproductswerenotoriginatedfromgenomic DNA. PCR products were
performed by gel electrophoresis and visualized via the AlphaImager HP imaging system. The PCR
productswerequantitated intermsofintensityofbands bycomparingtoknownmolecularweight DNA
markers(Fermentas,USA)usingAlphaImager software.Themathematicalcalculationmethodofrelative
quantificationwasdeterminedasfollows:

Foldchangeintargetgeneexpression=Ratiooftargetgeneexpression(experiment/untreatedcontrol)
Ratioofreferencegeneexpression(experiment/untreatedcontrol)

Table1:OligonucleotideprimersusedforPCR.
ReferenceSizeof
Product
SequenceNameofPrimer
(12)313bp5'AGAAGATTATGACTCAAAGTACCAAC3'

TUP1Sense
5'AATGTATTGTGACTTGTCGATAACC3'

TUP1Antisense
(13)516bp
ACCGAAGCTCCAATGAATCCAAAATCC3'
'
5
Beta-ACTSense


GTTTGGTCAATACCAGCAGCTTCCAAA3'
'
5
Beta-ACTAntisense

RESULT
Disk diffusion assay is a simple and reliable preliminary screening test to investigate the antifungal
activityof extracts. Theplantsinvestigatedin thisstudyhavebeenusedintraditionalmedicinefor their
antimicrobial and detoxification properties.  However the result of preliminary test using the disk
diffusion method demonstrated that shallot, garlic and onioncouldable to show the strong antifungal
propertiesagainstallCandida albicans, butshallotextractantifungaleffectwasstrongerthanonionand
garlicextract. Thediameterofinhibitionzoneforshallot,garlicandonion extractswithconcentrationof
100mg/ml,were25,17and14mmagainstCandida albicans respectively.Alsothediameterofinhibition
zonefortheantifungalchemicalagent AmphotricinB,ketoconazoleand nystatin were16,33and 25mm
againstCandida albicans respectively.EvaluationofplantextractseffectonCandida albicansATCC10231
indicated, as the time past, colonies of the microorganism shows growth reduction in the presence of
Hamdi and Khodavandi

ABR Vol 7 [1] January 2016 128 | P a g e ©2016 Society of Education, India
differentconcentrationofaqueousextractsofshallot,garlicandonions.However,intheabsenceofthese
extractsexcellentgrowthwasobserved.
Fig1.EvaluationofthegrowthofCandida albicansATCC10231intheabsenceandpresenceofaqua
extractsofgarlic,shallotsandonions.

Fig2.ThegrowthoftheyeastCandida albicansATCC10231atdifferenttimeswithoutthepresenceof
plantextracts.Magnification×40,Bar=50μm
Thepicturesfromtheleftrandomlyshowthetimeon0,12and24hours.
Fig3.ThegrowthoftheyeastCandida albicansATCC10231atvarioustimesinthepresenceofaqueous
extractsofshallot.Magnification×40,Bar=50μm
Thepicturesfromtheleftrandomlyshowthetimeon0,12and24hours.

Fig4.ThegrowthoftheyeastCandida albicansATCC10231atvarioustimesinthepresenceofaqueous
extractsofgarlic.Magnification×40,Bar=50μm
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
-10 0 10 20 30 40 50 60
log ATCC 10231 growth(cfu/mg)
time h
Aqueous extracts of garlic
Aqueous extracts of shallot
Aqueous extracts of onion
without extract
Hamdi and Khodavandi

ABR Vol 7 [1] January 2016
Thepicturesfromtheleftrandomlyshowthetimeon0,12and24
Fig5.Thegrowthoftheyeast
Candida albicans
extractsofonion
Thepicturesfromthel
eftrandomlyshowthetimeon0
According to the M
icroscopic observations, partly inhibition of quorum sensing due to prevent the
formation of hyphae was
observed, since
hyphaedirectconnection.

Table2.TheMICandMFCforvariousspeciesof
Aqueousextractsofshallot
Isolates
MIC90
MIC50
11.28
6.27
C.albicansATCC
10231
11.26
6.25
C.albicansCI-1
*
12.24
6.80
C.albicansCI-2
*
12.27
6.82
C.albicansCI-3
*
11.82
6.57
C.albicansCI-4
*
11.80
6.55
C.albicansCI-5
*
11.44
6.36
C.albicansCI-6
*
12.24
6.80
C.albicansCI-7
*
11.55
6.42
C.albicansCI-8
*
12.15
6.75
C.albicansCI-9
*
11.82
6.57
C.albicansCI-10
*
ClinicalIsolates.=*CI;
MICandMFCaremeasuredaccordingtomilligram/milliliter.

RT-PCR products indicated (p
≥ 0.05)
influence of 2MIC, MIC, ½ MIC plant extracts
genes, which is close to the size of the markers, showed slight differences in the gene expression in
control and other samples. The results showed no significant changes (p
tup1geneofCandidaalbicans
ATCC10231inthepresenceofplantextract(Fig6,7,8).
Fig6.TUP1andbeta-
actingeneexpressionin
129 | P a g e ©2016
Society of Education, India
Thepicturesfromtheleftrandomlyshowthetimeon0,12and24
hours.
Candida albicans

ATCC10231atvarioustimesinthepresenceofaqueous
extractsofonion
.Magnification×40,Bar=50μm.
eftrandomlyshowthetimeon0
.12and24hours.
icroscopic observations, partly inhibition of quorum sensing due to prevent the
observed, since

the phenomenon of quorum sensing in
Table2.TheMICandMFCforvariousspeciesof
Candida albicans
inthepresenceofaqueousextractsof
shallot,garlicandonion.
Aqueousextractsofonion
Aqueousextractsofgarlic
Aqueousextractsofshallot
MIC50
MFC
MIC90
MIC50
MFC
MIC90
12.89
25.08
22.57
12.54
12.54
11.28
12.95
25.90
23.31
12.95
12.51
11.26
12.80
25.80
23.22
12.90
13.60
12.24
12.95
25.84
23.25
12.92
13.64
12.27
12.90
25.80
23.22
12.90
13.14
11.82
12.90
25.60
23.04
12.80
13.10
11.80
12.85
25.50
22.95
12.75
12.72
11.44
12.90
25.90
23.31
12.95
13.60
12.24
12.79
25.92
23.32
12.96
12.84
11.55
12.86
25.68
23.11
12.84
13.50
12.15
12.95
25.64
23.07
12.82
13.14
11.82
MICandMFCaremeasuredaccordingtomilligram/milliliter.
≥ 0.05)
TUP1
gene expression without significant changes under the
influence of 2MIC, MIC, ½ MIC plant extracts
 concentrations. The beta-
actin (516bp) and
genes, which is close to the size of the markers, showed slight differences in the gene expression in
control and other samples. The results showed no significant changes (p ≥ 0.05) for expression of
ATCC10231inthepresenceofplantextract(Fig6,7,8).
actingeneexpressionin
Candida albicans
ATCC10231inthepresenceofdifferent
concentrationsofShallotextracs.
Hamdi and Khodavandi
Society of Education, India
ATCC10231atvarioustimesinthepresenceofaqueous
icroscopic observations, partly inhibition of quorum sensing due to prevent the
the phenomenon of quorum sensing in
C. albicans formed
inthepresenceofaqueousextractsof
Aqueousextractsofonion
MFC
MIC90
MIC50
25.78
23.20

25.91
23.32

25.60
23.04

25.90
23.31

25.80
23.22

25.80
23.22

25.70
23.13

25.80
23.22

25.58
23.02

25.72
23.14

25.90
23.31

gene expression without significant changes under the
actin (516bp) and
TUP1(313bp)
genes, which is close to the size of the markers, showed slight differences in the gene expression in
≥ 0.05) for expression of
ATCC10231inthepresenceofplantextract(Fig6,7,8).

ATCC10231inthepresenceofdifferent

ABR Vol 7 [1] January 2016
C+:control posetive; C-:
control negative
ShallotextractsMIC2:
ConcentrationofShallotextracts1/2MIC3:
4:InternalcontrolRT-PCR
Fig7.TUP1andbeta-
actingeneexpressionin
C+:controlposetive;C-
:controlnegative
extractsMIC2:
ConcentrationofGarlicextracts1/2MIC3:
C+:controlposetive;C-
:controlnegative
extractsMIC2:
ConcentrationofOnionextracts1/2MIC3:
Fig8.TUP1 andbeta-
actingeneexpressionin
Fig 9.TUP1andbeta-
actingeneexpressionof
0
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
1
1.2
0
normalizedratio(target
gene/refrencegene)
130 | P a g e ©2016
Society of Education, India
control negative
;
Concentration of Shallot extracts2MIC1:
ConcentrationofShallotextracts1/2MIC3:

actingeneexpressionin
Candida albicans
ATCC10231inthepres
concentrationsofGarlicextracts.
:controlnegative
;ConcentrationofGarlicextracts2MIC1
:Concentration
ConcentrationofGarlicextracts1/2MIC3:
4:InternalcontrolRT-PCR


:controlnegative
;ConcentrationofOnionextracts2MIC1:
ConcentrationofOnion
ConcentrationofOnionextracts1/2MIC3:
4:InternalcontrolRT-PCR

actingeneexpressionin
Candida albicans
ATCC10231inthep
concentrationsofOnionextracts.

actingeneexpressionof
Candida albicans
ATCC10231atconcentrationsof2MIC,
MIC,½MICshallotextract.
1/2 ×MIC MIC
Shallot extract concentration (mg/ml)
Hamdi and Khodavandi
Society of Education, India
Concentration of Shallot extracts2MIC1:
Concentration of
ATCC10231inthepres
enceofdifferent
:Concentration
ofGarlic

ConcentrationofOnion

ATCC10231inthep
resenceofdifferent
ATCC10231atconcentrationsof2MIC,
2 ×MIC

ABR Vol 7 [1] January 2016 131 | P a g e ©2016 Society of Education, India
Fig 10.TUP1andbeta-actingeneexpressionofCandida albicansATCC10231atconcentrationsof2MIC,
MIC,½MICgarlicextract.
Fig 11.TUP1 and beta- actin gene expression Candida albicans ATCC 10231 at concentrations of 2
MIC, MIC, ½ MIC onion extract.

DISCUSSION
Medicinal,insecticidal,anti-bacterial and anti-fungal propertieshavebeenattributedtoplantextract.In
addition, interest in plant extract as an anti-fu ngal agent has been renewed recently. Plant extract was
demonstrated to be fungicidal against pathogenic yeasts, especially C. albicans. Various studies have
provedthatduetodermatophytesresistancetochemicaldrugsandtheireffects,herbalextractsareused
instead[14].Inpresentstudy,extractsofShallot,GarlicandOnionwereusedfortheirsulfidegroupeffect
on cell wall and physiological structure of candida albicans. Recent studies showed that herbs such as
Shallot in comparison to fluconazole have fewer side effects on dermatophytes, Candida and non-
pathogenic mold, which makes the herbal medicine more remarkable than chemical drugs. Some
researchers have evaluated standard anti-fungal drug compounds against antifungal agents of plant
origin.AllicineffectaloneandincombinationwithfluconazolewasexaminedagainstCandidaspeciesand
alsoasynergisticeffectofthemwasstudied.Theresultsshowedthatthedrugcombinationworkwellin
anti-fungal properties [11]. On the other hand, some of the important virulence attributes in Candida
species are include hyphae production, adhesion, phenotypic switching and formation of some
extracellularhydrolyticenzymessuchasproteinases.ColonizationofCandidaonthesurfaceoftissueisa
primary step of infection [15]. Moreover, quorum sensing is a natural obstacle to treatment with some
antifungalagentswhichmayresultindrugresistance.Itisdemonstratedthattheabilitytoformquorum
sensinganddegreeofpathogenicitycouldbecollaborative.
CONCLUSION
Inpresentstudy,thefungicidalconcentrationoftheaqueousShallotextractagainstC. albicanswashigher
thanGarlicandOnionextracts.Infact,theuseofaqueousextractsofShallot,GarlicandOnion(especially
shallot) at different time intervals represent more reduction than in the control group (no extracts
shallot,garlicandonion)(p≤0.05)onyeastcells,sothatthecellsreachalmosttozeroafter48hoursof
0
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
1
1.2
01/2×MIC MIC 2×MIC
normalized ratio(target
gene/refrence gene)
garlicextractconcentration(mg/ml)
0
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
1
1.2
01/2
×MIC
MIC
2
×MIC
normalized ratio (target
gene/refrence gene)
onion extract concentration (mg/ml)
Hamdi and Khodavandi

ABR Vol 7 [1] January 2016 132 | P a g e ©2016 Society of Education, India
incubation. According to our results, reduce gene expression by RT-PCR t echnique has been approved.
Molecularstudies showed that impact ofaqueousextractsof shallot; garlic and onion reduce TUP1gene
expressioninCandida albicans.However,incontrasttoprevious,ourfindingsshowednoinhibitioneffect
of these extracts on quorum sensing through changes in TUP1gene expression. It is possible that
expression of other genes involved in this phenomenon is affected by these extracts. Therefore,
consideration of each gene expression involved in this phenomenon in the presence of anti-fungal
extracts is critical. The techniques were used in this study may not accurate enough to Measure
expressionlevel,sothatmoreappropriatetechniquessuchasRealtimeRT-PCRisrequired.
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Copyright: © 2016 Society of Education. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons
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Hamdi and Khodavandi