Evidence mapPaperPMID 41820875Full record

ArticleBMC microbiology2026

Pogostone disrupts key virulence traits of Candida albicans: hyphal inhibition and biofilm suppression.

Luyao Sun, Zihan Luo, Xingju Zou, Chen Sun, Fu Peng, Cheng Peng, Qinmei Zhou

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In one paragraph

Article in BMC microbiology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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1 · What the graph read from it

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Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Luyao SunChengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, 611137, China.
Zihan LuoChengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, 611137, China.
Xingju ZouChengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, 611137, China.
Chen SunChengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, 611137, China.
Fu PengWest China School of Pharmacy, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, China.
Cheng PengChengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, 611137, China. pengchengchengdu@126.com.
Qinmei ZhouChengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, 611137, China. zhqmyx@sina.cn.

Funding

National Natural Science Foundation of China Key Project 2024NSFSC0054National Natural Science Foundation of China Regional Innovation and Development Joint Fund Key Program U24A20790Sichuan Provincial Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine Special Scientific Research Project 2024ZD02
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundCandida albicans (C. albicans) is an opportunistic mycopathogen that clinically presents serious challenges due to its ability to cause diverse infections. High mortality rates and increased resistance to antifungals are what make this pathogen particularly concerning. Pogostone (PO) is a bioactive compound with anti-C. albicans activity, isolated from Pogostemon cablin (patchouli). Yet, there is limited research concerning the mechanism of action of PO on C. albicans biofilms in a detailed and thorough manner. It is for this reason that this study sought to determine the inhibitory effects of PO on C. albicans biofilm and hyphae.

resultsPO displayed a noticeable inhibitory effect against fluconazole-resistant Candida species that had an MIC range of 16 to 32 µg/mL. Optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) observations revealed that PO effectively inhibited hyphal morphotransformation. The results obtained from XTT reduction assays, crystal violet (CV) staining, and cell surface hydrophobicity (CSH) measurements indicated that PO significantly reduces metabolic activity, biomass accumulation, and surface hydrophobicity of C. albicans biofilms across different growth stages. Additionally, the confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) imaging further demonstrated PO’s interference in the three-dimensional architecture of C. albicans biofilms. Notably, this study innovatively discovered that PO can inhibit the adhesion and invasion of C. albicans on human vaginal epithelial (VK2/E6E7) cells. Transcriptome data showed that PO affected gene expression involved in hyphal morphogenesis, biofilm formation, and several major metabolic processes. The reduced expression of the virulence gene candidates HWP1, ECE1, ALS3, TPK2, and EFG1 was validated by qRT-PCR. The data point towards PO interfering with several biological pathways, especially ribosomal biopathways, metabolism, and gene transcription related to biofilm formation.

conclusionsPO exerts its antifungal activity against C. albicans by disrupting two major virulence factors: inhibition of mycelium and biofilm. This study provides a new insight into the mode of antifungal actions of PO and thus opens newer vistas for its use in alternative therapy against conventional antifungal therapies.

Indexed as

Antifungal AgentsBiofilmsCandida albicansHyphaePogostemonDrug Resistance, FungalFluconazoleFungal ProteinsGene Expression Regulation, FungalHumansHydrophobic and Hydrophilic InteractionsMicrobial Sensitivity TestsMicroscopy, Electron, ScanningVirulenceAntifungal AgentsFluconazoleFungal ProteinsBiofilmCandida albicansHyphaePogostoneTranscriptomic analysis

Identifiers

PMID41820875
PMCPMC13094096

What Socratic holds

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.