Background: Rhizoma Coptidis has been used as antibiotics in traditional Chinese medicine practice for many years. Here, we examined the effect
of
Rhizoma Coptidis extract on the growth of
C. albicans
.
Materials and Methods: The antifungal effects of
Coptidis Rhizoma extract was examined by time-kill assay, transmission electron microscope
(TEM) and scanning electron microscope (SEM) observations. The anti-inflammatory effect of the
Rhizoma Coptidis extract was examined in mouse
model of
Candida vaginitis.
Results: We found that the MIC of
Coptidis Rhizoma extract was 3.125 mg/mL. The time-kill assay suggested that
Rhizoma Coptidis extract could
inhibit the growth of
C. albicans. The SEM and TEM observations showed notable changes of cell wall and cytoplasmic content of the
C. albicans
and complete collapse of yeast cell exposed to
Rhizoma Coptidis extract. Our
in vivo antifungal activity studies in mouse model of
Candidal vaginitis
showed the reduction of inflammatory reaction was found after
Rhizoma Coptidis extract treatment. In addition, the COX-2 expression was decreased
in mice treated with
Coptidis Rhizoma extract as compared with the control mice.
Conclusion: Our results indicate that
Coptidis Rhizoma extract is a promising candidate in
candidal vaginitis treatment in the future.
