Ibogaine reduces organ colonization in murine systemic and gastrointestinal Candida albicans infections.

Summary

A natural compound, ibogaine, has shown remarkable ability to reduce the severity of common fungal infections. Research explored how ibogaine affects *Candida albicans*, a prevalent fungus, in lab tests and in mice. Scientists found ibogaine significantly lowered mortality and reduced fungal colonization in organs like the kidney, liver, and spleen during early infection stages. Importantly, combining ibogaine with amphotericin B, an existing drug, further enhanced the reduction of organ colonization in gastrointestinal infections. This suggests ibogaine holds promise as a powerful treatment against *Candida albicans* infections.

Abstract

In the present study the effect of the indole alkaloid ibogaine on the in vitro lipolytic activity and adherence to epithelial cells of Candida albicans was investigated. The substance was administered intraperitoneally at a dose of 5 mg kg(-1) day(-1) in mice with disseminated and gastrointestinal C. albicans infections. Ibogaine significantly decreased the rate of mortality and the number of C. albicans c.f.u. recovered from the kidney, liver and spleen. Ibogaine interfered with the early stages of both disseminated and gastrointestinal C. albicans infections but did not reduce the number of C. albicans c.f.u. in the organs at the late phase of infections. The development of a specific immune response was not influenced by ibogaine, since the delayed-type hypersensitivity reaction to C. albicans and the production of interferon (IFN)-gamma were similar in control and ibogaine-treated mice. The combined use of amphotericin B plus ibogaine in the treatment of mice with gastrointestinal infection reduced organ colonization more strongly than each substance alone.

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