Inhibition of adherence of the yeast Candida albicans to buccal epithelial cells by synthetic aromatic glycoconjugates.

The yeast Candida albicans is an opportunistic fungal pathogen which induces superficial and systemic infections in immunocompromised patients. Adherence to host tissue is critical to its ability to colonise and infect the host. The work presented here describes the synthesis of a small library of aromatic glycoconjugates (AGCs) and their evaluation as inhibitors of C. albicans adherence to exfoliated buccal epithelial cells (BECs). We identified a divalent galactoside, ligand 2a, capable of displacing over 50% of yeast cells already attached to the BECs. Fluorescence imaging indicates that 2a may bind to structural components of the fungal cell wall.