Clioquinol is an 8-hydroxyquinoline derivative that was widely used from the 1950s to 1970s as an oral antiparasitic agent. In 1970, the oral forms were withdrawn from the market due to reports of toxicity, but topical formulations for antifungal treatment remained available. Thus, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the toxicity, anti-Candida and antidermatophyte activity and to determine pharmacodynamic characteristics of clioquinol and other 8-hydroxyquinoline derivatives (8-hydroxy-5-quinolinesulfonic acid and 8-hydroxy-7-iodo-5-quinolinesulfonic acid). Antifungal activity was tested by broth microdilution and the fungicidal or fungistatic effect was checked by a time-kill assay. Permeation and histopathological evaluation were performed in Franz diffusion cells with ear skin of pigs and examined under light microscopy. An HET-CAM test was used to determine the potential irritancy. The three compounds were active against all isolates showing anti-Candida and antidermatophyte activity, with MIC ranges of 0.031-2 μg/ml, 1-512 μg/ml, and 2-1024 μg/ml for clioquinol, 8-hydroxy-5-quinolinesulfonic acid, and 8-hydroxy-7-iodo-5-quinolinesulfonic acid, respectively. All compounds showed fungistatic effect for Candida, 8-hydroxy-5-quinolinesulfonic acid, and 8-hydroxy-7-iodo-5-quinolinesulfonic acid showed a fungicidal effect for M. canis and T. mentagrophytes, and clioquinol showed a fungicidal effect only for T. mentagrophytes. Furthermore, they presented a fungicidal effect depending on the time and concentration. The absence of lesions was observed in histopathological evaluation and no compound was irritating. Moreover, clioquinol and 8-hydroxy-5-quinolinesulfonic acid accumulated in the epithelial tissue, and 8-hydroxy-7-iodo-5-quinolinesulfonic acid had a high degree of permeation. In conclusion, 8-hydroxyquinoline derivatives showed antifungal activity and 8-hydroxy-5-quinolinesulfonic acid demonstrated the potential for antifungal drug design.

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The interaction between substances present in the F2 active fraction is possibly responsible for the antifungal activity presented by this fraction. This study is unprecedented and suggests that the combination of F2 active fraction and FLZ might be used as an alternative treatment for mucocutaneus infections caused by C. glabrata resistant.

Fungal infections have emerged as a current serious global public health problem. The main problem involving these infections is the expansion of multidrug resistance. Therefore, the prospection of new compounds with efficacy antifungal becomes necessary. Thus, this study evaluated the antifungal profile and toxicological parameters of quinolines derivatives against Candida spp. and dermatophyte strains. As a result, a selective anti-dermatophytic action was demonstrated by compound 5 (geometric means (GM = 19.14 μg ml −1 )). However, compounds 2 (GM = 50 μg ml −1 ) and 3 (GM = 47.19 μg ml −1 ) have presented only anti- Candida action. Compounds 3 and 5 did not present cytotoxic action. Compound 5 did not produce dermal and mucosal toxicity. In addition, this compound showed the absence of genotoxic potential, suggesting safety for topical and systemic use. Quinolines demonstrated a potent anti-dermatophytic and anti-yeast action. Moreover, compound 5 presented an excellent toxicological profile, acting as a strong candidate for the development of a new effective and safe compound against dermatophytosis of difficult treatment. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1007/s42770-020-00348-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

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