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.

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