{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,22]],"date-time":"2026-09-22T01:15:33Z","timestamp":1790039733945,"version":"4.0.1"},"reference-count":44,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,2,25]],"date-time":"2025-02-25T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1740441600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Microbiol."],"abstract":"<jats:p>Fungal infections, particularly those caused by <jats:italic>Candida albicans<\/jats:italic>, represent a significant global health concern, with drug resistance and biofilm formation posing considerable challenges to effective treatment. Baicalein, a flavonoid derived from baicalin found in <jats:italic>Scutellaria baicalensis<\/jats:italic>, has demonstrated considerable antifungal efficacy. Moreover, the combination of baicalein and fluconazole demonstrated a notable synergistic effect. Given the restricted natural accessibility of baicalein, <jats:italic>Lactobacillus rhamnosus<\/jats:italic> has been identified as a microbial agent capable of converting baicalin to baicalein via whole-cell catalysis. This process has been shown to achieve a molar yield of 66% at a substrate concentration of 4\u202fg\/L under optimized conditions. In addition to the antifungal properties of baicalein, <jats:italic>L. rhamnosus<\/jats:italic> demonstrated intrinsic antifungal activity against <jats:italic>C. albicans<\/jats:italic>. The combination of baicalein and <jats:italic>L. rhamnosus<\/jats:italic> resulted in a notable enhancement in the inhibition of <jats:italic>C. albicans<\/jats:italic> growth. The key enzyme responsible for baicalin hydrolysis, <jats:italic>\u03b2<\/jats:italic>-glucuronidase (<jats:italic>Lr<\/jats:italic>GUS2), is indicative of the biotransformation potential of <jats:italic>L. rhamnosus<\/jats:italic>. This study demonstrates the potent antifungal activity of baicalein, its synergistic effects with fluconazole, and the ability of <jats:italic>L. rhamnosus<\/jats:italic> to efficiently convert baicalin into baicalein. These findings highlight the potential for developing baicalein as a novel antifungal agent, particularly in combination therapies for resistant <jats:italic>C. albicans<\/jats:italic> infections, and provide a scalable, safe method for baicalein production using probiotics.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3389\/fmicb.2025.1562103","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,2,25]],"date-time":"2025-02-25T06:53:31Z","timestamp":1740466411000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":6,"title":["Baicalein as a potent antifungal agent against Candida albicans: synergy with fluconazole and sustainable production through probiotic-mediated bioconversion"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"16","author":[{"given":"Hang","family":"Zhai","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Jialing","family":"Zeng","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Xiaonan","family":"Ma","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Fuju","family":"Wang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Wei","family":"Xu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ming","family":"Song","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Weizhuo","family":"Xu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,2,25]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"2900","DOI":"10.1038\/S41598-019-39625-0","article-title":"Inhibition of Candida albicans morphogenesis by chitinase from Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG","volume":"9","author":"Allonsius","year":"2019","journal-title":"Sci. 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