Recent Progress in the Chemotherapy of Human Fungal Diseases. Emphasis on 1,3-β-Glucan Synthase and Chitin Synthase Inhibitors

Title:Recent Progress in the Chemotherapy of Human Fungal Diseases. Emphasis on 1,3-β-Glucan Synthase and Chitin Synthase Inhibitors

Volume: 20 Issue: 38

Author(s): Anwer Basha, Fatima Basha, Syed Kashif Ali, Paul R. Hanson, Lester A. Mitscher and Berl R. Oakley

Affiliation:

Keywords: Antifungal drugs, amphotericin B, conazoles, flucytosine, morpholine, 1, 3-β-glucan synthase inhibitors, echinocandins, triterpene glycosides, kramerixin, chitin synthase inhibitors.

Abstract: Systemic fungal infections of humans and economically important animals are increasingly common throughout the world. These infections are severe and often hard to treat with existing safe, oral medications. Thus there has been increasing research on alternatives resulting in study of natural and synthetic inhibitors of 1,3-β-Glucan synthase (GS) and chitin synthase (CS)-enzymes important in the biosynthesis of fungal cell walls that are not utilized in human biochemistry. Some such agents have recently been introduced into parenteral clinical use. There is hope that safe agents of this type with oral activity may yet emerge. This active area of research and its historic context with alternative agents is reviewed herein.

Cite this article as:

Basha Anwer, Basha Fatima, Ali Kashif Syed, Hanson R. Paul, Mitscher A. Lester and Oakley R. Berl, Recent Progress in the Chemotherapy of Human Fungal Diseases. Emphasis on 1,3-β-Glucan Synthase and Chitin Synthase Inhibitors, Current Medicinal Chemistry 2013; 20 (38) . https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/092986732038131128102220