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Antimicrobial and immunomodulatory activity of pomegranate in the systemic candidiasis on Galleria mellonella.

Nara Ligia Martins Almeida, L

The increasing resistance of microorganisms to conventional antifungal drugs has encouraged studies designed to discover alternative therapies for infections caused by Candida spp. Pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) is an effective herbal extract with broad spectrum of antimicrobial action and able to modulate the immune response. In this study, we evaluated the antimicrobial and immunomodulatory pomegranate activity on in vivo candidiasis using Galleria mellonella model by survival percentage and hemocyte counts present in hemolymph, respectively. After selection of the non-toxic concentrations of both pomegranate and amphotericin B to G. mellonella larvae, two experimental designs were performed: prophylaxis by inoculating a single dose of extract, 24 hours before C. albicans infection, and therapy by inoculating single dose 1 hour after fungal infection. As control, larvae were infected/untreated, treated with amphotericin B or non-infected/untreated. Both treatments were effective against C. albicans infection by means of larvae survival curves. However, prophylactic effect of pomegranate resulted in longer survival time than therapy. Next, multiple doses of the extract were administered in larvae prior to infection, resulting in highest survival percentage and higher hemocyte density when compared to the infected and non-treated larvae. Concluding, the findings suggest that pomegranate possess antimicrobial action against C. albicans and immunomodulated the response in G. mellonella, with systemic candidiasis, principally in the prophylaxis using multiple doses.