The anti-biofilm activity of a novel maleimide derivative against Candida albicans

Candida albicans (C. albicans) is the most common opportunistic pathogen in clinical fungal infections, and its invasive pathogenic mechanisms and drug resistance are closely associated with biofilm formation. Therefore, research on biofilm inhibitors holds significant importance. This study found that N-(2,4-dimethylphenyl) maleimide (abbreviated as IMB-D7) can inhibit the formation of C. albicans biofilms and has a certain clearance effect on mature biofilms. IMB-D7 significantly reduces the adhesion capacity and hydrophobicity of C. albicans cells, inhibits the yeast-hyphae phase transition and hyphae formation, and affects the content of key components of the cell wall. IMB-D7 significantly downregulates the expression of genes associated with adhesion, hyphal formation, and cell wall component synthesis. Additionally, IMB-D7 exhibits low cytotoxicity toward human oral epithelial cells. Therefore, further research on IMB-D7 holds promise for the discovery of novel antifungal active lead compounds.