Symbiotic Plant Peptides Eliminate Candida albicans Both In Vitro and in an Epithelial Infection Model and Inhibit the Proliferation of Immortalized Human Cells

Figure 1

NCR provoked morphological changes and localization of fluorescently labeled NCR peptides in C. albicans cells and pseudohyphae. ((a)–(h)) Pseudohyphal C. albicans WO-1 cells were either mock treated (a), (b) or treated with NCR335 (c), (d); NCR247 (e), (f); NCR192 (g), (h) peptides at 25 μg/mL concentration for 2 hours. Differential interference contrast (DIC) ((a), (c), (e), and (g)) and fluorescent ((b), (d), (f), and (h)) images obtained after FM4-64 (cell membrane; red) and DAPI labeling (DNA; blue). ((i)–(o)) Planktonic cells were treated with 5 μg/mL of FITC-conjugated NCR035 (i), (j) or NCR247 (k)–(o) and the localization of the peptides was monitored with confocal microscopy 3 hours after the treatment. DIC ((i), (k), and (m)) and fluorescent images ((j), (l), and (n)); (o) merged image of (m), (n). Scale bars: (a) 20 μm, (i) 100 μm.