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An antifungal medication, also known as an antimycotic medication, is a pharmaceutical fungicide or fungistatic used to treat and prevent mycosis such as athlete's foot, ringworm, candidiasis (thrush), serious systemic infections such as cryptococcal meningitis, and others.
Ergosterol (ergosta-5,7,22-trien-3β-ol) is a sterol found in fungi, and named after ergot, the common name of members of the fungal genus Claviceps from which ergosterol was first isolated. Ergosterol is a component of yeast and other fungal cell membranes , serving many of the same functions that cholesterol serves in animal cells. [ 1 ]
Screening of natural products of fungal fermentation in the 1970s led to the discovery of echinocandins, a new group of antifungals with broad-range activity against Candida spp. One of the first echinocandins of the pneumocandin type, discovered in 1974, echinocandin B, could not be used clinically due to risk of high degree of hemolysis.
Research shows that natural substances can have specified interactions with cell components, increasing the intracellular concentration of associated antifungal drugs and their effectiveness. For example, Brazilian red propolis , an organic bee liquid, synergizes with fluconazole to combat common yeast infections such as C. parapsilosis and C ...
Previously, polyenes were thought to bind to ergosterol in the fungal cell membrane, weakening it and causing leakage of K + and Na + ions, which could contribute to fungal cell death. However, more detailed studies of polyene molecular properties have challenged this model suggesting that polyenes instead bind and extract ergosterol directly ...
Poor diagnostic tests, little surveillance of infections and drug misuse — fungal infections are often misdiagnosed — all play a role as well, but more coordinated oversight of new drugs and ...
Macrolides belong to the polyketide class of natural products. Some macrolides have antibiotic or antifungal activity and are used as pharmaceutical drugs. Rapamycin is also a macrolide and was originally developed as an antifungal, but has since been used as an immunosuppressant drug and is being investigated as a potential longevity ...
It has been argued that "the use of natural products has been the single most successful strategy in the discovery of novel medicines". [3] Plants need to defend themselves from attack by micro-organisms, in particular fungi, and they do this by producing anti-fungal chemicals that are toxic to fungi.
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