Comparative Antifungal Activity of Metal–Organic Frameworks (MOFs) with Different Metal Centers and Structural Dimensionalities against Candida albicans
- 1University of Nova Gorica , , Vipavska 11c , ,
- 2Khalifa University of Science & Technology , , , P.O. Box ,
Abstract
Fungal infections, such as those caused byCandida albicans (C. albicans), represent a growing global health threat due to rising antifungal resistance and limited antifungal therapy options. Porous materials, including metal–organic frameworks (MOFs), have shown promise as antifungal agents, but the reported studies are difficult to compare due to the different metrics used to evaluate antifungal activity. Herein, we present a comparative study of a series of 1,3,5-triformylphloroglucinol (Tp)-based MOFs containing Cu, Mn, Fe, and Ni nodes, aiming to elucidate how metal-dependent characteristics, together with inherent framework features, influence their physicochemical properties and antifungal activity. While all four materials show better antifungal activity than the corresponding metal salts, MnTp and FeTp were the most effective at inhibiting planktonicC. albicanscells with >50% decrease in viability over 24 h, likely due to their rich intracellular redox activity.C. albicans biofilm formation was most effectively inhibited by NiTp with >60% biofilm inhibition over the same time period, an observation that we attribute to the highest ζ-potential of NiTp in the MOF series, to the nonendogenous nature of Ni2+ linked to the extracellular matrix trapping of Ni2+ ions, and to a small proportion of Ni2+ release. Ultimately, this study calls for further systematic investigation of MOFs as potential materials for the treatment of fungal infections and for more consistent reporting of antifungal activity in the literature.
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BibTeX
@article{skorjanc2026comparative,
title = {{Comparative Antifungal Activity of Metal–Organic Frameworks (MOFs) with Different Metal Centers and Structural Dimensionalities against Candida albicans}},
author = {Tina Skorjanc and Safa Gaber and Kayaramkodath C. Ranjeesh and Uroš Luin and Dinesh Shetty and Matjaz Valant},
journal = {ACS Omega},
year = {2026},
month = nov,
doi = {10.1021/acsomega.6c08012},
url = {https://pubs.acs.org/acsodf/article/doi/10.1021/acsomega.6c08012/5466302/Comparative-Antifungal-Activity-of-Metal-Organic},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Comparative Antifungal Activity of Metal–Organic Frameworks (MOFs) with Different Metal Centers and Structural Dimensionalities against Candida albicans
AU - Tina Skorjanc
AU - Safa Gaber
AU - Kayaramkodath C. Ranjeesh
AU - Uroš Luin
AU - Dinesh Shetty
AU - Matjaz Valant
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/11/09
JO - ACS Omega
DO - 10.1021/acsomega.6c08012
UR - https://pubs.acs.org/acsodf/article/doi/10.1021/acsomega.6c08012/5466302/Comparative-Antifungal-Activity-of-Metal-Organic
AB - Fungal infections, such as those caused byCandida albicans (C. albicans), represent a growing global health threat due to rising antifungal resistance and limited antifungal therapy options. Porous materials, including metal–organic frameworks (MOFs), have shown promise as antifungal agents, but the reported studies are difficult to compare due to the different metrics used to evaluate antifungal activity. Herein, we present a comparative study of a series of 1,3,5-triformylphloroglucinol (Tp)-based MOFs containing Cu, Mn, Fe, and Ni nodes, aiming to elucidate how metal-dependent characteristics, together with inherent framework features, influence their physicochemical properties and antifungal activity. While all four materials show better antifungal activity than the corresponding metal salts, MnTp and FeTp were the most effective at inhibiting planktonicC. albicanscells with >50% decrease in viability over 24 h, likely due to their rich intracellular redox activity.C. albicans biofilm formation was most effectively inhibited by NiTp with >60% biofilm inhibition over the same time period, an observation that we attribute to the highest ζ-potential of NiTp in the MOF series, to the nonendogenous nature of Ni2+ linked to the extracellular matrix trapping of Ni2+ ions, and to a small proportion of Ni2+ release. Ultimately, this study calls for further systematic investigation of MOFs as potential materials for the treatment of fungal infections and for more consistent reporting of antifungal activity in the literature.
SN - 2470-1343
ER -