The effect of nitric oxide (NO) donors on survival of conidia, germination and growth of the opportunistic pathogenic fungus Aspergillus fumigatus was investigated. Most efficient was sodium nitrite in an acidic milieu (pH 4.5). At a concentration of 5 mmol/L it killed all resting conidia in buffer within 16 h. S-Nitroso derivatives of thiols (cysteine, N-acetylcysteine and N-acetylpenicillamine) at the same concentration killed about 30-50% of spores within 24 h. The NO scavenger, oxyhemoglobin, abolished these effects. S-Nitrosoglutathione had no fungicidal effect and promoted germination. Sodium nitrite and S-nitroso-N-acetylcysteine inhibited germination of conidia in various media from concentration of 0.5 mmol/L and stopped it at concentrations of 1.4-2.9 mmol/L. In media with glucose and casein hydrolyzate or sodium nitrate as nitrogen source, growth inhibition by sodium nitrite (0.5-2 mmol/L) was only weak and mostly transient. In general, the used strain A. fumigatus seems to be less sensitive to nitric oxide donors than dimorphic pathogenic fungi. Thus, nitric oxide is probably not a major effector molecule in killing phagocytized elements of this fungus by host's immunocytes.

Department of Biology Palacký University Olomouc Czech Republic

Zobrazit více v PubMed

Environ Health Perspect. 1992 Jul;97:115-20 PubMed

Infect Immun. 1993 May;61(5):1980-9 PubMed

Infect Immun. 1991 Jul;59(7):2291-6 PubMed

Eur J Immunol. 1993 May;23(5):1034-8 PubMed

Infect Immun. 1994 Apr;62(4):1478-9 PubMed

Res Immunol. 1991 Sep;142(7):570-2; discussion 599-600 PubMed

Infect Immun. 1994 Feb;62(2):680-4 PubMed

Eur J Immunol. 1993 Jun;23(6):1385-8 PubMed

Br J Pharmacol. 1992 Nov;107(3):745-9 PubMed

Br J Pharmacol. 1992 Nov;107(3):715-21 PubMed

Infect Immun. 1994 May;62(5):1940-5 PubMed

J Immunol. 1994 Apr 1;152(7):3514-21 PubMed

Jpn J Pharmacol. 1992;58 Suppl 2:185P-191P PubMed

Curr Opin Immunol. 1991 Feb;3(1):65-70 PubMed

Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1993 Sep 1;90(17):8103-7 PubMed

Ann Trop Med Parasitol. 1993 Dec;87(6):637-42 PubMed

J Clin Invest. 1988 Apr;81(4):1129-36 PubMed

Immunol Ser. 1994;60:29-46 PubMed

J Med Vet Mycol. 1992;30 Suppl 1:167-77 PubMed

J Pharmacol Exp Ther. 1990 Dec;255(3):1256-64 PubMed

Recent Results Cancer Res. 1993;132:109-15 PubMed

J Clin Invest. 1990 Jan;85(1):264-73 PubMed

J Exp Med. 1994 Jul 1;180(1):365-9 PubMed

Science. 1992 Dec 18;258(5090):1898-902 PubMed

Biokhimiia. 1993 Jul;58(7):1094-103 PubMed

Infect Immun. 1994 Jul;62(7):3004-7 PubMed

Anal Biochem. 1992 Aug 1;204(2):365-71 PubMed

Effect of peroxynitrite on dormant spores and germlings of Aspergillus fumigatus in vitro