2,5-dimethyl-4-hydroxy-3(2H)-furanone (DMHF); antimicrobial compound with cell cycle arrest in nosocomial pathogens

2,5-Dimethyl-4-hydroxy-3(2H)-furanone (DMHF), an aroma compound found in a number of fruits and foods, has shown various biological properties in animal models, but its antimicrobial effect remains poorly understood. The current study investigated the antimicrobial effect of DMHF using human pathogenic microorganisms including clinically isolated antibiotics-resistant strains. The results indicated that DMHF exhibited broad spectrum antimicrobial activities in an energy-dependent manner without hemolytic effect on human erythrocytes. To confirm antifungal effect of DMHF, we investigated the effect on dimorphism of Candida albicans induced by FBS, which plays a key role for pathogenesis in host invasion. The result showed that DMHF exerted a potent antifungal activity on the serum-induced mycelia of C albicans. To elucidate the physiological changes of the fungal cells induced by DMHF, cell cycle analysis was performed, and the results showed that DMHF arrested the cell cycle at the S and G2/M phase in yeast. Therefore, it could be expected that DMHF may have potential as an anti-infective agent in human microbial infections. (c) 2006 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.