Artemisia argyi extract subfraction exerts an antifungal effect against dermatophytes by disrupting mitochondrial morphology and function

Le CHEN; Yunyun ZHU; Chaowei GUO; Yujie GUO; Lu ZHAO; Yuhuan MIAO; Hongzhi DU; Dahui LIU

doi:10.1016/S1875-5364(24)60561-3

Chinese Journal of Natural Medicines ›› 2024, Vol. 22 ›› Issue (1) :47 -61. DOI: 10.1016/S1875-5364(24)60561-3

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Artemisia argyi extract subfraction exerts an antifungal effect against dermatophytes by disrupting mitochondrial morphology and function

Le CHEN ¹^,³^,^∆
, Yunyun ZHU ¹^,^∆
, Chaowei GUO ¹
, Yujie GUO ¹
, Lu ZHAO ¹
, Yuhuan MIAO ¹
, Hongzhi DU ¹^,²^,^*
, Dahui LIU ¹^,^*

Author information +

¹ College of Pharmacy, Hubei University of Chinese Medicine, Wuhan 430065, China

² National Resource Center for Chinese Materia Medica, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing 100700, China

³ College of Pharmacy, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210023, China

^* E-mails: dhz3163@hbtcm.edu.cn (DU Hongzhi);

liudahui@hbtcm.edu.cn (LIU Dahui)

Associate Professor DU Hongzhi, Doctor of Medicine, MA student adviser. He was selected in Hubei Province High-level Talent Program, the Young Elite Scientists Sponsorship Program by China Association of Chinese Medicine, Wuhan Huanghe Talent Program, Hubei University of Chinese Medicine “Xinglin Talent Program” and so on. At present, he is mainly engaged in the pharmacology of Chinese medicine, the development and utilization of Chinese medicine resources. He has published 52 papers as the first author and corresponding author, including 12 of TOP journal papers such as APSB, Food Chem, Cell Death Dis, JAFC, and 2 was the ESI highly cited papers. He presided over more than 10 projects of the National Natural Science Foundation, the Provincial Natural Science Foundation and so on. He Applied for 13 patents, edited 1 English e-book, participated in the compilation of 5 textbooks or books, and 3 group standards.

Professor LIU Dahui, Doctor of Agronomy, Postdoctor of Chinese materia medica, Doctoral supervisor. He is the member of the National TCM Standardization Technical Committee, Young Qihuang Scholar of National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Young and Middle-aged Experts with Outstanding Contributions in Hubei Province. He is the secretary-general of Chinese Medicine Resources and Ecology Committee of Chinese Ecological Society. His research direction is Chinese medicine resources and Chinese medicine ecological agriculture. He has presided over more than 30 research programs, participated in 1 National Science and Technology Progress Awards and 5 first prize of Provincial and Ministerial Science and Technology Progress Awards, and published more than 180 papers as the first author or corresponding author in PBJ, J Agri Food Chem, Front Plant Sci, etc., chief editor of 5 monographs, deputy editor of 5 monographs. Prof. LIU also has authorized more than 20 invention patents, formulate 1 national standard, 2 industry standard, more than 50 group standards ^∆These authors contributed equally to this work.

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Abstract

Artemisia argyi (A. argyi), a plant with a longstanding history as a raw material for traditional medicine and functional diets in Asia, has been used traditionally to bathe and soak feet for its disinfectant and itch-relieving properties. Despite its widespread use, scientific evidence validating the antifungal efficacy of A. argyi water extract (AAWE) against dermatophytes, particularly Trichophyton rubrum, Trichophyton mentagrophytes, and Microsporum gypseum, remains limited. This study aimed to substantiate the scientific basis of the folkloric use of A. argyi by evaluating the antifungal effects and the underlying molecular mechanisms of its active subfraction against dermatophytes. The results indicated that AAWE exhibited excellent antifungal effects against the three aforementioned dermatophyte species. The subfraction AAWE6, isolated using D101 macroporous resin, emerged as the most potent subfraction. The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of AAWE6 against T. rubrum, M. gypseum, and T. mentagrophytes were 312.5, 312.5, and 625 μg·mL⁻¹, respectively. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) results and assays of enzymes linked to cell wall integrity and cell membrane function indicated that AAWE6 could penetrate the external protective barrier of T. rubrum, creating breaches (“small holes”), and disrupt the internal mitochondrial structure (“granary”). Furthermore, transcriptome data, quantitative real-time PCR (RT-qPCR), and biochemical assays corroborated the severe disruption of mitochondrial function, evidenced by inhibited tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle and energy metabolism. Additionally, chemical characterization and molecular docking analyses identified flavonoids, primarily eupatilin (131.16 ± 4.52 mg·g⁻¹) and jaceosidin (4.17 ± 0.18 mg·g⁻¹), as the active components of AAWE6. In conclusion, the subfraction AAWE6 from A. argyi exerts antifungal effects against dermatophytes by disrupting mitochondrial morphology and function. This research validates the traditional use of A. argyi and provides scientific support for its anti-dermatophytic applications, as recognized in the Chinese patent (No. ZL202111161301.9).

Keywords

Artemisia argyi / Dermatophyte / Antifungal activity / Mitochondrial structure / Mitochondrial function / Transcriptome analysis

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Le CHEN, Yunyun ZHU, Chaowei GUO, Yujie GUO, Lu ZHAO, Yuhuan MIAO, Hongzhi DU, Dahui LIU. Artemisia argyi extract subfraction exerts an antifungal effect against dermatophytes by disrupting mitochondrial morphology and function. Chinese Journal of Natural Medicines, 2024, 22(1): 47-61 DOI:10.1016/S1875-5364(24)60561-3

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