Invasive candidiasis is a major threat to human health, and Candida albicans is the most common pathogenic species responsible for this condition. The incidence of drug-resistant strains of C. albicans is rising, necessitating the development of new antifungal drugs. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) have recently attracted attention due to their unique ability to evade the drug resistance of microorganisms. However, the mechanism of their activity has not yet been identified. The current study analyzed the mode of action of MAF-1A by confocal microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, fluorescent staining, flow cytometry, and qRT-PCR. The results indicate that MAF-1A disrupts the cell membrane of C. albicans and enters the cell where it binds and interacts with nucleic acids. qRT-PCR demonstrated that the expression of several sterol biosynthesis–related genes in C. albicans was increased after MAF-1A treatment. Together, these findings suggest that MAF-1A exerts antifungal action by affecting both the cell membrane and intracellular components. The antifungal mechanism of MAF-1A is unique, and its identification has great research and clinical significance.

侵袭性念珠菌病是对人类健康的主要威胁，白色念珠菌是导致这种情况的最常见病原体。C耐药菌株的发生率。白色念珠菌正在上升，需要开发新的抗真菌药物。抗菌肽（AMP）由于其独特的逃避微生物耐药性的能力而最近引起了人们的关注。然而，它们的活动机制尚未确定。目前的研究通过共聚焦显微镜、扫描电子显微镜、荧光染色、流式细胞术和 qRT-PCR 分析了 MAF-1A 的作用模式。结果表明 MAF-1A 破坏了C 的细胞膜。白化病患者并进入细胞，在那里它与核酸结合并相互作用。qRT-PCR 表明，C中几种甾醇生物合成相关基因的表达。MAF-1A 治疗后白色念珠菌增加。总之，这些发现表明 MAF-1A 通过影响细胞膜和细胞内成分发挥抗真菌作用。MAF-1A的抗真菌作用机制独特，其鉴定具有重要的研究和临床意义。