Elastin increases biofilm and extracellular matrix production of Aspergillus fumigatus

• Autor(a) principal: Brandão,Ildnay de Souza Lima
• Data de Publicação: 2018
• Outros Autores: Oliveira-Moraes,Heloiza Maria da Silva, Motta,Cristina Maria de Souza, Oliveira,Neiva Tinti de, Magalhães,Oliane Maria Correia
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Brazilian Journal of Microbiology
• Texto Completo: http://old.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1517-83822018000300675
• topic: Aspergillus fumigatus; Biofilm; Elastin; Extracellular matrix; Hydrophobicity

Abstract Aspergillus fumigatus is an opportunistic saprobe fungus that accounts for 90% of cases of pulmonary aspergillosis in immunosuppressed patients and is known for its angiotropism. When it reaches the respiratory tract, A. fumigatus interacts with structural components and blood vessels of the lungs, such as elastin. To understand the effect of this structural component, we examined the effect of elastin on the production and development of the biofilm of A. fumigatus. In RPMI containing 10 mg/mL of elastin, a significant increase (absorbance p < 0.0001; dry weight p < 0.0001) in the production of biofilm was observed in comparison to when RPMI was used alone, reaching a maximum growth of 18.8 mg (dry weight) of biofilm in 72 h. In addition, elastin stimulates the production (p = 0.0042) of extracellular matrix (ECM) and decreases (p = 0.005) the hydrophobicity during the development of the biofilm. These results suggest that elastin plays an important role in the growth of A. fumigatus and that it participates in the formation of thick biofilm.