ISSN: 0973-7510

E-ISSN: 2581-690X

Research Article | Open Access
Hatoon A. Niyazi1,2, Hanouf A. Niyazi1, Noof R. Helmi1, Noha A. Juma1, Bandar H. Saleh1,2, Mona A. Alqarni1, Jawahir A. Mokhtar1-3, Dalya Attallah2, Khalil Alkuwaity3,4, Ahmad M. Sait4,5, Sahar E. Taha6, Mazen A. Ismail7, Ohood S Alharbi8, Waiel S. Halabi9, Mohanned T. Alharbi10, Rawan Altalhi11, Abdelbagi Elfadil1,12, Karem Ibrahem1,2 and Wafaa Alhazmi4
1Department of Clinical Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia.
2Department of Clinical Microbiology Laboratory, King Abdulaziz University Hospital, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia.
3EcoHealth Research Unit, King Fahd Medical Research Center, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia.
4Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia.
5Regenerative Medicine Unit, King Fahd Medical Research Center, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia.
6Faculty of Medical Laboratory Sciences and Technology, The National Ribat University, Sudan.
7Department of Medical Education, Faculty of Medicine, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia.
8Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah, Saudi Arabia.
9Department of Optometry, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, University of Jeddah, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
10Department of Basic Medical Sciences, College of Medicine, University of Jeddah, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
11Department of Biological Sciences, College of Science, University of Jeddah, Jeddah 23445, Saudi Arabia.
12Center of Research Excellence for Drug Research and Pharmaceutical Industries, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Article Number: 10146 | © The Author(s). 2025
J Pure Appl Microbiol. 2025;19(4):3106-3115. https://doi.org/10.22207/JPAM.19.4.52
Received: 11 December 2024 | Accepted: 21 October 2025 | Published online: 08 December 2025
Issue online: December 2025
Abstract

The increasing prevalence of Candida infections is a major healthcare challenge, underscoring the need for novel therapeutic agents. In this study, we evaluated the antifungal and anti-inflammatory activity of 2,3-dichloro-6-(trifluoromethoxy) quinoxaline against various Candida and Aspergillus species using both in vitro and in vivo models. Using the broth microdilution method, 21 reference strains were evaluated, revealing notable fungicidal activity particularly against Candida glabrata and Candida krusei, while variable susceptibility was observed in C. albicans, C. tropicalis, and C. parapsilosis. However, no activity was detected against Aspergillus species. In the oral candidiasis mice model, significant antifungal efficacy was confirmed against C. albicans. Moreover, 2,3-dichloro-6-(trifluoromethoxy) quinoxaline exhibited pronounced anti-inflammatory effects, as evidenced by a dose-dependent reduction in pro-inflammatory markers such as IL-6, IL-1β, COX-2, iNOS, and IFN-γ (p < 0.05 at concentrations of 0.02 and 0.2 mg/mL). Taken together, these findings indicate that 2,3-dichloro-6-(trifluoromethoxy) quinoxaline has dual antifungal and anti-inflammatory potential, positioning it as a promising candidate for further preclinical development.

Keywords

2,3-Dichloro-6-(trifluoromethoxy) quinoxaline, Antifungal activity, Anti-inflammatory, Candida, Aspergillus, Drug Discovery, In vitro, In vivo

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© The Author(s) 2025. Open Access. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License which permits unrestricted use, sharing, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made.