Screening of Metal Ions for

Some of the metal ions are known for their special antimicrobial properties, allowing them to make contribution for development of antifungal materials. and copper ions (Cu2+) in particular have been increasingly explored for their potent activity and potential in therapeutic material development due to its ability to trigger upregulation of autophagy-related genes in Malassezia and ability to cause disruption of the fungal cell membrane structure. In this study, we investigated the inhibitory effects of copper ions on Malassezia species, a yeast associated with various skin disorders. After exposure to copper ions at concentrations of 8.0, 16.0 mM for 6 hours and 20 hours, we observed a significant reduction in colony growth. Spectrophotometric analysis revealed elevated levels of nucleic acid and protein leakage, indicating disruption of cellular integrity. Furthermore, RT-qPCR results showed that copper ions upregulated the expression of autophagy-related genes, featuring Malapachy_3247 and MRET_0334. These findings indicate that copper ion effectively inhibits Malassezia by inducing autophagy, and cell membrane damage.