RESUMEN

The effects of the protease inhibitors saquinavir, darunavir, ritonavir, and indinavir on growth inhibition, protease and phospholipase activities, as well as capsule thickness of Cryptococcus neoformans were investigated. Viral protease inhibitors did not reduce fungal growth when tested in concentrations ranging from 0.001 to 1.000 mg/L. A tendency toward increasing phospholipase activity was observed with the highest tested drug concentration in a strain-specific pattern. However, these drugs reduced protease activity as well as capsule production. Our results confirm a previous finding that antiretroviral drugs affect the production of important virulence factors of C. neoformans.

Asunto(s)

Antirretrovirales/farmacología , Cryptococcus neoformans/efectos de los fármacos , Regulación Fúngica de la Expresión Génica/efectos de los fármacos , Inhibidores de Proteasas/farmacología , Cryptococcus neoformans/enzimología , Cryptococcus neoformans/patogenicidad , Indinavir/farmacología , Ritonavir/farmacología , Saquinavir/farmacología , Factores de Virulencia/genética