Silver(I) 1,10-Phenanthroline Complexes Are Active against Viability and Negatively Modulate Its Potential Virulence Attributes.

The genus is one of the etiological agents of chromoblastomycosis (CBM), a chronic subcutaneous disease that is difficult to treat. This work aimed to evaluate the effects of copper(II), manganese(II) and silver(I) complexes coordinated with 1,10-phenanthroline (phen)/1,10-phenanthroline-5,6-dione (phendione) on spp. Our results revealed that most of these complexes were able to inhibit , and conidial viability with minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values ranging from 0.6 to 100 µM. The most effective complexes against planktonic conidial cells, the main etiologic agent of CBM, were [Ag(phen)]ClO and [Ag(3,6,9-tdda)(phen)].EtOH, (tdda: 3,6,9-trioxaundecanedioate), displaying MIC values equal to 1.2 and 0.6 µM, respectively. These complexes were effective in reducing the viability of biofilm formation and maturation. Silver(I)-tdda-phen, combined with itraconazole, reduced the viability and extracellular matrix during biofilm development. Moreover, both silver(I) complexes inhibited either metallo- or aspartic-type peptidase activities of as well as its conidia into mycelia transformation and melanin production. In addition, the complexes induced the production of intracellular reactive oxygen species in . Taken together, our data corroborate the antifungal action of metal-phen complexes, showing they represent a therapeutic option for fungal infections, including CBM.