Emerging Antifungal Targets and Strategies

Despite abundant research in the field of antifungal drug discovery, fungal infections remain a significant healthcare burden. There is an emerging need for the development of novel antifungals since those currently available are limited and do not completely provide safe and secure protection. Sinc...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal of molecular sciences 2022-03, Vol.23 (5), p.2756
Main Authors: Ivanov, Marija, Ćirić, Ana, Stojković, Dejan
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Acids
antibiofilm
Antifungal agents
Antifungal Agents - metabolism
Antifungal Agents - pharmacology
Antifungal Agents - therapeutic use
antifungal targets
Biofilms
Candida
Cell Wall - metabolism
Cell walls
Dermatitis
drug discovery
Drug dosages
Drug Resistance, Fungal
Efflux
Enzymes
Fungal infections
fungal resistance
Fungi
Fungicides
Heat shock proteins
Hsp90 protein
Humans
Hyphae
Impact resistance
In vivo methods and tests
Membranes
Mitochondria
mitochondrial activity
Mutation
Mycoses - microbiology
Plant extracts
Review
Sterols
Virulence
Virulence factors
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Summary:Despite abundant research in the field of antifungal drug discovery, fungal infections remain a significant healthcare burden. There is an emerging need for the development of novel antifungals since those currently available are limited and do not completely provide safe and secure protection. Since the current knowledge regarding the physiology of fungal cells and the infection mechanisms is greater than ever, we have the opportunity to use this for the development of novel generations of antifungals. In this review, we selected and summarized recent studies describing agents employing different antifungal mechanisms. These mechanisms include interference with fungal resistance, including impact on the efflux pumps and heat shock protein 90. Additionally, interference with virulence factors, such as biofilms and hyphae; the impact on fungal enzymes, metabolism, mitochondria, and cell wall; and antifungal vaccines are explored. The agents investigated belong to different classes of natural or synthetic molecules with significant attention given also to plant extracts. The efficacy of these antifungals has been studied mainly in vitro with some in vivo, and clinical studies are needed. Nevertheless, there is a large quantity of products employing novel antifungal mechanisms that can be further explored for the development of new generation of antifungals.
ISSN:1422-0067
1661-6596
1422-0067
DOI:10.3390/ijms23052756