Pasteur Institute of Iran
Journal of Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases
Wed, Feb 25, 2026
Volume 13, Issue 4 (12-2025)
JoMMID 2025, 13(4): 303-309 |
Back to browse issues page
Ethics code: IR.IAU.PS.REC.1403.585
Download citation:
BibTeX | RIS | EndNote | Medlars | ProCite | Reference Manager | RefWorks
Send citation to:
BibTeX | RIS | EndNote | Medlars | ProCite | Reference Manager | RefWorks
Send citation to:
Torkashvand H, Jahanshiri Z. Effects of Capsaicin on the Growth and Virulence Factors of Aspergillus fumigatus. JoMMID 2025; 13 (4) :303-309
URL: http://jommid.pasteur.ac.ir/article-1-818-en.html
URL: http://jommid.pasteur.ac.ir/article-1-818-en.html
Department of Mycology, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
Abstract: (265 Views)
Introduction: Emerging drug-resistant fungal pathogens and the limitations of current antifungal therapies necessitate the development of alternative therapeutic strategies. This study aimed to investigate the effects of capsaicin on the growth and virulence factors of Aspergillus fumigatus AF293. Methods: The impact of capsaicin on fungal growth, ergosterol content, and gene expression was evaluated at concentrations up to 25 μg/mL, and on biofilm formation at concentrations up to 100 μg/mL. Expression levels of the PLB1, PLB2, PLD1, and PLD2 genes were quantified using quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR). Results: Capsaicin exhibited dose-dependent antifungal activity, inhibiting fungal growth (15.33–89.78%) and reducing ergosterol content (42.35–82.59%) at concentrations of 3.125–25 μg/mL. The half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC₅₀) for fungal growth was estimated to be between 6.25 and 12.5 μg/mL. At the highest concentration tested (100 μg/mL), biofilm formation was significantly suppressed by 88.34%. PLB1 and PLB2 gene expression was downregulated in a dose-dependent manner, with maximal reductions of 56% and 63%, respectively, at 25 μg/mL. In addition, the expression of PLD1 and PLD2 genes decreased by 31.4% and 48.13%, respectively, at the highest tested concentration. Conclusion: Capsaicin demonstrates potent antifungal activity against A. fumigatus AF293 by inhibiting fungal growth, disrupting ergosterol biosynthesis, and reducing key virulence factors, including biofilm formation as well as PLB and PLD genes expression. These findings suggest that capsaicin is a promising lead compound for antifungal drug development.
Keywords: Antifungal resistance, Aspergillus fumigatus AF293, Biofilm, Capsaicin, Ergosterol, Phospholipase B, Virulence factors
Type of Study: Original article |
Subject:
Microbial pathogenesis
Received: 2026/02/3 | Accepted: 2025/12/10 | Published: 2026/02/3
Received: 2026/02/3 | Accepted: 2025/12/10 | Published: 2026/02/3
References
1. Morrissey CO, Kim HY, Duong TMN, Moran E, Alastruey-Izquierdo A, Denning DW, et al. Aspergillus fumigatus-a systematic review to inform the World Health Organization priority list of fungal pathogens. Med Mycol. 2024; 62 (6): myad129. [DOI:10.1093/mmy/myad129] [PMID] [PMCID]
2. Kordana N, Johnson A, Quinn K, Obar JJ, Cramer RA. Recent developments in Aspergillus fumigatus research: diversity, drugs, and disease. Microbiol Mol Biol Rev. 2025; 89 (1): e0001123. [DOI:10.1128/mmbr.00011-23] [PMID] [PMCID]
3. Delbaje E, Pontes L, Rhodes J, Steenwyk J, Lu L, Dos Reis TF, et al. Aspergillus fumigatus mitogenomes and their influence on azole-resistant and -susceptible populations. NPJ Antimicrob Resist. 2025; 3 (1): 15. [DOI:10.1038/s44259-025-00083-6] [PMID] [PMCID]
4. Chen Y, Gao F, Chen X, Tao S, Chen P, Lin W. The basic leucine zipper transcription factor MeaB is critical for biofilm formation, cell wall integrity, and virulence in Aspergillus fumigatus. mSphere. 2024; 9 (2): e00619-23. [DOI:10.1128/msphere.00619-23] [PMID] [PMCID]
5. Alcazar-Fuoli L, Mellado E. Ergosterol biosynthesis in Aspergillus fumigatus: its relevance as an antifungal target and role in antifungal drug resistance. Front Microbiol. 2013; 3: 439. [DOI:10.3389/fmicb.2012.00439] [PMID] [PMCID]
6. Speth C, Rambach G, Lass-Flörl C, Howell PL, Sheppard DC. Galactosaminogalactan (GAG) and its multiple roles in Aspergillus pathogenesis. Virulence. 2019; 10 (1): 976-83. [DOI:10.1080/21505594.2019.1568174] [PMID] [PMCID]
7. Morelli KA, Kerkaert JD, Cramer RA. Aspergillus fumigatus biofilms: Toward understanding how growth as a multicellular network increases antifungal resistance and disease progression. PLoS Pathog. 2021; 17 (8): e1009794. [DOI:10.1371/journal.ppat.1009794] [PMID] [PMCID]
8. Song L, Wang S, Zou H, Yi X, Jia S, Li R, et al. Regulation of ergosterol biosynthesis in pathogenic fungi: opportunities for therapeutic development. Microorganisms. 2025; 13 (4): 862. [DOI:10.3390/microorganisms13040862] [PMID] [PMCID]
9. Shen DK, Noodeh AD, Kazemi A, Grillot R, Robson G, Brugère JF. Characterisation and expression of phospholipases B from the opportunistic fungus Aspergillus fumigatus. FEMS Microbiol Lett. 2004; 239 (1): 87-93. [DOI:10.1016/j.femsle.2004.08.019] [PMID]
10. Kazemi A, Robson J, Denning D, MahmoudAbadi AZ, Jafari A. Molecular detection of phospholipase B3 as an effective factor in virulence of Aspergillus fumigatus. Med J Mashhad Univ Med Sci. 2010; 53 (6): 199-205.
11. Cai R, He C, Kong Q, Lu L, Sang H. Synergistic antifungal activity of PIT and ITZ against varied Aspergillus species via affecting the ergosterol content and intracellular drug retention. Curr Microbiol. 2025; 82 (5): 198. [DOI:10.1007/s00284-025-04150-z] [PMID]
12. Verhasselt HL, Thissen L, Scharmann U, Dittmer S, Rath PM, Steinmann J, et al. Trends of azole-resistant Aspergillus fumigatus susceptibility over 12 years from a German ECMM excellence center. Mycopathologia. 2025; 190 (2): 34. [DOI:10.1007/s11046-025-00941-x] [PMID] [PMCID]
13. Dieste-Pérez L, Holstege MMC, de Jong JE, Heuvelink AE. Azole resistance in Aspergillus isolates from animals or their direct environment (2013-2023): a systematic review. Front Vet Sci. 2025; 12: 1507997. [DOI:10.3389/fvets.2025.1507997] [PMID] [PMCID]
14. Chowdhary A, Sharma C, Hagen F, Meis JF. Exploring azole antifungal drug resistance in Aspergillus fumigatus with special reference to resistance mechanisms. Future Microbiol. 2014; 9 (5): 697-711. [DOI:10.2217/fmb.14.27] [PMID]
15. Bottery MJ, van Rhijn N, Chown H, Rhodes JL, Celia-Sanchez BN, Brewer MT, et al. Elevated mutation rates in multi-azole resistant Aspergillus fumigatus drive rapid evolution of antifungal resistance. Nat Commun. 2024; 15 (1): 10654. [DOI:10.1038/s41467-024-54568-5] [PMID] [PMCID]
16. Vengurlekar S, Sharma R, Trivedi P. Efficacy of some natural compounds as antifungal agents. Pharmacogn Rev. 2012; 6 (12): 91-9. [DOI:10.4103/0973-7847.99942] [PMID] [PMCID]
17. Augostine CR, Avery SV. Discovery of natural products with antifungal potential through combinatorial synergy. Front Microbiol. 2022; 13: 866840. [DOI:10.3389/fmicb.2022.866840] [PMID] [PMCID]
18. Singh S, Uddin M, Khan MMA, Singh S, Chishti AS, Bhat UH. Therapeutic properties of capsaicin: a medicinally important bio-active constituent of chilli pepper. Asian J Pharm Clin Res. 2022; 15 (7): 47-58. [DOI:10.22159/ajpcr.2022.v15i7.44405]
19. Jahanshiri Z, Shams-Ghahfarokhi M, Asghari-Paskiabi F, Saghiri R, Razzaghi-Abyaneh M. α-Bisabolol inhibits Aspergillus fumigatus Af239 growth via affecting microsomal ∆24-sterol methyltransferase as a crucial enzyme in ergosterol biosynthesis pathway. World J Microbiol Biotechnol. 2017; 33 (3): 55. [DOI:10.1007/s11274-017-2214-9] [PMID]
20. Seegers CII, Lee DJ, Zarnovican P, Kirsch SH, Müller R, Haselhorst T, et al. Identification of compounds preventing A. fumigatus biofilm formation by inhibition of the galactosaminogalactan deacetylase Agd3. Int J Mol Sci. 2023; 24 (3): 1851. [DOI:10.3390/ijms24031851] [PMID] [PMCID]
21. Noodeh AD, Singh N, Robson GD. Effect of phosphatidylcholine on pld gene expression level of Aspergillus fumigatus by the real-time PCR method and investigations of these genes using bioinformatics analysis. Iran J Microbiol. 2012; 4 (3): 139-45.
22. Bastos RW, de Aguiar Peres NT, Da Silva KJG, Eufrasio LG, De Carvalho DS, Silva Cruz G, et al. Antifungal resistance in yeasts from One Health perspective: a Brazilian study. Sci Total Environ. 2025; 973: 179139. [DOI:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2025.179139] [PMID]
23. Kang Y, Ma W, Li Q, Wang P, Jia W. Epidemiology, antifungal susceptibility and biological characteristics of clinical Aspergillus fumigatus in a tertiary hospital. Sci Rep. 2025; 15: 16906. [DOI:10.1038/s41598-025-00187-z] [PMID] [PMCID]
24. Klyasova G, Malchikova A, Khrulnova S. The first case of Aspergillus fumigatus with high-level resistance to voriconazole due to the TR46/Y121F/T289A mutation in the Russian Federation. Diagn Microbiol Infect Dis. 2025; 111 (3): 116624. [DOI:10.1016/j.diagmicrobio.2024.116624] [PMID]
25. van de Veerdonk FL, Carvalho A, Wauters J, Chamilos G, Verweij PE. Aspergillus fumigatus biology, immunopathogenicity and drug resistance. Nat Rev Microbiol. 2025; 23 (10): 652-66. [DOI:10.1038/s41579-025-01180-z] [PMID]
26. Dladla M, Gyzenhout M, Marias G, Ghosh S. Azole resistance in Aspergillus fumigatus- comprehensive review. Arch Microbiol. 2024; 206 (7): 305. [DOI:10.1007/s00203-024-04026-z] [PMID]
27. Kraikruan W, Sangchote S, Sukprakarn S. Effect of capsaicin on germination of Colletotrichum capsici conidia. Kasetsart J (Nat Sci). 2008; 42 (3): 417-22.
28. Moreno-Limón S, Salcedo-Martínez SM, Cárdenas-Ávila ML, Hernández-Piñero JL, Núñez-González MA. Antifungal effects of capsaicin and chile piquin extracts (Capsicum annuum L. var. aviculare) in vitro on Aspergillus flavus growth. Polibotánica. 2012; 34: 191-204.
29. Fieira C, Oliveira F, Calegari RP, Machado A, Coelho AR. In vitro and in vivo antifungal activity of natural inhibitors against Penicillium expansum. Food Sci Technol. 2013; 33 (Suppl 1): 40-6. [DOI:10.1590/S0101-20612013000500007]
30. Jabra-Rizk MA, Falkler WA, Meiller TF. Fungal biofilms and drug resistance. Emerg Infect Dis. 2004; 10 (1): 14 9. [DOI:10.3201/eid1001.030119] [PMID] [PMCID]
31. Alwar RP, Karthikeyan B, Toleti SR, Senthil KJ, Sriyutha MP. Polydimethylsiloxane loaded capsaicin afflicts membrane integrity, metabolic activity and biofilm formation of nosocomial pathogens. Microbial Pathogenesis. 2025; 200: 107282. [DOI:10.1016/j.micpath.2025.107282] [PMID]
32. Behbehani JM, Irshad M, Shreaz S, Karched M. Anticandidal activity of capsaicin and its effect on ergosterol biosynthesis and membrane integrity of Candida albicans. Int J Mol Sci. 2023; 24 (2): 1046. [DOI:10.3390/ijms24021046] [PMID] [PMCID]
Send email to the article author
| Rights and permissions | |
 |
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. |
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.