The role of melanin in <i>Fonsecaea monophora</i> pathogenicity: adhesion, fibroblast interactions, and implications for chromoblastomycosis

The WT strain exhibited greater adhesion and inhibited fibroblast migration, whereas the <i>ΔpksA</i> strain showed reduced adhesion and enhanced migration, correlating with melanin content and ectophosphatase activity. Both strains inhibited fibroblast-to-myofibroblast differentiation, collagen synthesis, and extracellular matrix deposition, contributing to tissue remodeling. These findings highlight melanin's role in <i>F. monophora</i>'s pathogenicity and its disruption of fibroblast function, potentially delaying wound healing in CBM.