Avaliação da atividade antimicrobiana e antibiofilme da prometazina contra cepas clínicas do gênero Candida

Abstract

Catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs) represent a significant public health problem, often caused by microorganisms of the genus Candida, which are capable of forming biofilms on medical devices. Biofilms confer resistance to conventional antifungal treatments, making the management of these infections particularly challenging. Promethazine, a phenothiazine traditionally used as anantihistamine and antiemetic, has demonstrated antimicrobial and antibiofilm activity. This study evaluated the antimicrobial and antibiofilm activity of promethazine (PMZ) against clinical strains of Candida albicans, Candida glabrata, Candida parapsilosis, and Candida tropicalis, as well as its efficacy when impregnated in catheter fragments. The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of PMZ were determined using broth microdilution assays following the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) M27 protocol, and antibiofilm activity was assessed through biomass quantification and colony-forming unit (CFU) counting assays. The results showed that PMZ inhibited the planktonic growth of Candida spp. with MICs ranging from 48.48 to 390.4 µg/mL. PMZ also significantly reduced biofilm formation at concentrations corresponding to the MIC (p ≤ 0.05). The impregnation of catheters with PMZ resulted in a significant reduction in CFU formation compared to the control group, highlighting its potential as a preventive strategy against device-associated infections. In conclusion, PMZ exhibits promising antifungal and antibiofilm activity and could be explored as a therapeutic and preventive alternative against biofilm-related fungal infections.