Mycobiology.  2003 Jun;31(2):81-85.

Antifungal Activity of Methyl 2-Benzimidazole Carbamate

• Kim MN
• Park HY

Abstract

Antifungal properties of methyl 2-benzimidazole carbamate (BMC) were investigated using 16 fungi. Cytotoxicity test of BMC revealed that the morphology of HeLa cells was considerably deformed even at the concentrations as low as 0.1 ppm. Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values of BMC for 7 fungi among the 16 tested ones were lower than 1.95x10(-4) microg/ml, while Aspergillus flavus showed an MIC value higher than 1.0 microg/ml. Tolerance induction against BMC was successful only for Paecilomyces farinosus LAR10, contrary to the expectation that tolerance would be induced for the fungi having high MIC values such as Aspergillus niger ATCC 9642 and A. flavus ATCC 9643. Spore germination of A. niger ATCC 9642 was suppressed by BMC. However the mycelial growth of the fungus once germinated was not retarded at all by BMC up to 8 MIC. Addition of lanosterol provided a remedy for the reduced germination rate of A. niger ATCC 9642 spores.

Keyword

Cytotoxicity; Methyl-2-benzimidazole carbamate; MIC; Tolerance

MeSH Terms

Aspergillus flavus
Aspergillus niger
Fungi
Germination
HeLa Cells
Humans
Lanosterol
Microbial Sensitivity Tests
Niger
Paecilomyces
Spores
Lanosterol