The Antifungal Activity and Potential Mechanism of Kalopanax septemlobus against Trichophyton mentagrophytes and T. rubrum.

Kalopanax septemlobus (K. septemlobus) has been documented for therapeutic efficacy against scabies, but with fewer modern studies. In this paper, the inhibitory effects of K. semtemlobus extract and monomeric compounds on Trichophyton mentagrophytes and Trichophyton rubrum were studied, and the mechanism of action was preliminarily discussed. The chemical constituents of the ethyl acetate layer of K. semtemlobus were isolated and purified under the trace of antifungal activity (microdilution method). The structure was characterized by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR) and mass spectrometry (MS); in vitro antifungal activity was investigated by microdilution (MIC, MFC), spore germination suppression, serum induced culture, extracellular protein determination, intracellular nucleic acid release, and PI fluorescence staining. Two compounds were isolated and elucidated, hederagenin (1: ) and kalopanaxsaponin A (2: ), respectively. The antifungal study showed that kalopanaxsaponin A had strong activity and could inhibit fungal growth from growth appreciation, transformation, and cell membrane (protein, nucleic acid leakage). The above data show that kalopanaxsaponin A has a strong antifungal effect (MIC50=7.8 µg/mL), but in vivo and clinical experiments are needed to verify whether it has a curative effect. This study provides a potential compound for the development of natural antifungal drugs.