New Antifungal Discovery from Existing Chemical Compound Collections
Olihile M. Sebolai and Adepemi O. Ogundeji
from: Antifungals: From Genomics to Resistance and the Development of Novel Agents (Edited by: Alix T. Coste and Patrick Vandeputte). Caister Academic Press, U.K. (2015) Pages: 143-158.
Abstract
Immunosuppressive conditions, as a result of either HIV-infection or unintended consequences of using anti-rejection drugs in organ transplant patients, have led to an increase in host vulnerability to fungal diseases. These conditions create optimal environments for opportunistic infections to occur, and thus it is not coincidental that previously non-pathogenic fungal species have become new mycotic agents. The emergence of these new mycotic agents in clinical settings is also in parallel to a rise in drug resistance, which is an inherent trait in natural selection. Therefore, it is a challenge to keep up with these agents (some of which may initiate a mode of infection that is not targeted by current antifungal drugs) given the time for development and approval period required to have a new drug on the market. And to compound this, the usage of conventional drugs such as azoles and polyenes is often times characterised by clinical failure, particularly in persons who are immunocompromised. Thus a solution to the above could be the repurposing of existing chemical compounds (already FDA-approved) as "new" antimicrobial agents, whose previous mechanisms of action were thought to be negative. To date, reports have emerged documenting the antifungal activity of non-traditional antimicrobial drugs, or where they enhance the activity of other traditional antimicrobial drugs. This text will therefore explore literature concerning the application of non-traditional antimicrobial drugs such as the prototypical anti-inflammatory drug acetylsalicylic acid, and other compounds in controlling human fungal diseases read more ...
