Making it Harder for Candida to Hold On

I was curious if and how Candida can attach itself to the mucin layer in the gut, so I did a little bit of research. It turns out it can, and it uses very particular protease enzymes to alter intestinal mucin before being able to attach. I also found that there are many ways to make it harder for it to attach. I also found a link between Candida and HIV medications. Here is a summary of what I found with a trail of links for anyone interested.

First, how they attach:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10816460


Next, four substances that inhibit their ability to attach: Kaempferol, Apigenin, Ibogaine, and Berberine. (FYI, Ibogaine is probably not a good choice since it's a hallucinogen.)

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18535628


More on Kaempferol. This also explains why Tea, Broccoli, Grapefruit, Cranberries and Apples seem to help.

http://www.raysahelian.com/kaempferol.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaempferol


More on Apigenin, in Parsley, Chamomile, Thyme, Peppermint, Red Wine. Also, Apigenin is available as a supplement from Swanson, but note that it interferes with pharmaceuticals via the P450 cytochrome.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apigenin

http://www.raysahelian.com/apigenin.html


Many in this forum are familiar with Berberine, esp. Goldenseal, and it's use in treating both Candida and Sibo. My previous understanding of Berberine is that rather than killing microbes, it marks non-commensals and makes them easy targets for Neutrophils & Macrophages. Turns out it also makes it harder for Candida to hold on.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berberine

http://www.raysahelian.com/berberine.html


As a side note, I found information regarding HIV medications and Candida. It turns out that Candida infections in HIV patients have gone way down since the advent of Protease Inhibitors. (Remember from above, that Candida uses proteases to alter mucin before it can attach.)

So if you have HIV and Candida, it appears that Ritonivir and Saquinivir had the most effect on preventing Candida from holding on. Interestingly, Ritonivir is a protease inhibitor that is cheap and makes other protease inhibitors stronger, so it's used in many HIV combinations. It's not for those who don't have HIV, but may be a target for new antifungals.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10571729


I hope you find this as interesting as I did.

T.