Tehran University of Medical Sciences Iranian Journal of Microbiology 2008-3289 17 2 2025 04 05 342 347 Harmed Fakhim Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine Research Center, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran Bahar Mohamadi Department of Microbiology, Tehran North Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran Shima Gharibi Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine Research Center, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran Medhi Rahimmalek Department of Horticulture, College of Agriculture, Isfahan University of Technology, Isfahan, Iran Mahnaz Hosseini Rizi Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine Research Center, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran Mahsa Shelerangkon Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine Research Center, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran Elahe Nasri Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine Research Center, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran Fariba Dorostkar Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, School of Allied Medical Sciences, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran Antoni Szumny Department of Food Chemistry and Biocatalysis, Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences, Wroclaw, Poland Afsane Vaezi Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, School of Allied Medical Sciences, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran 2024 08 19 2025 01 26 Background and Objectives: The rapid emergence of resistant fungi is occurring worldwide, and this crisis has been attributed to the lack of new antifungal drug development. This issue emphasizes the need for innovation in finding novel antifungals. There is an increasing interest in using the natural products of plants with high biological activity as alternatives to synthetic drugs. This study aimed to evaluate the possible applicability of polyphenols as alternative antifungal drugs to treat resistant Candida infections. Materials and Methods: A panel of fluconazole-resistant (n=14) and fluconazole-susceptible (n=26) clinical Candida isolates was obtained from the reference culture collection. The determination of the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of fluconazole, tannic acid, rosmarinic acid, gallic acid, chlorogenic acid, caffeic, ferulic, and p-coumaric was carried out following the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) guidelines. Results: The MIC values of 40 Candida species isolates ranged from 0.25 to >64 µg/mL for polyphenolic compounds. The highest inhibitory effect against Candida species was observed with tannic acid, followed by fluconazole. Non-albicans Candida groups were more sensitive to tannic acid compared to C. albicans isolates. Significant differences were observed in the MICs of fluconazole and tannic acid against non-albicans Candida isolates. Conclusion: The increasing antifungal resistance highlights the importance of evaluating new drugs that are more robust against resistance. This study suggests that tannic acid could be considered a novel antifungal agent for managing fungal infections, including multidrug-resistant non-albicans Candida infections. https://ijm.tums.ac.ir/index.php/ijm/article/view/4948 https://ijm.tums.ac.ir/index.php/ijm/article/download/4948/1774