The in vitro antifungal activity and spectrum of FK463 were compared with those of amphotericin B, fluconazole, and itraconazole by using a broth microdilution method specified by National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards document M27-A (National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards, Wayne, Pa., 1997). FK463 exhibited broad-spectrum activity against clinically important pathogens including Candida species (MIC range, Ϲ0.0039 to 2 g/ml) and Aspergillus species (MIC range, Ϲ0.0039 to 0.0313 g/ml), and its MICs for such fungi were lower than those of the other antifungal agents tested. FK463 was also potently active against azole-resistant Candida albicans as well as azole-susceptible strains, and there was no cross-resistance with azoles. FK463 showed fungicidal activity against C. albicans, i.e., a 99% reduction in viability after a 24-h exposure at concentrations above 0.0156 g/ml. The minimum fungicidal concentration (MFC) assays indicated that FK463 was fungicidal against most isolates of Candida species. In contrast, the MFCs of FK463 for A. fumigatus isolates were much higher than the MICs, indicating that its action is fungistatic against this species. FK463 had no activity against Cryptococcus neoformans, Trichosporon species, or Fusarium solani. Neither the test medium (kind and pH) nor the inoculum size greatly affected the MICs of FK463, while the addition of 4% human serum albumin increased the MICs for Candida species and A. fumigatus more than 32 times. Results from preclinical in vitro evaluations performed thus far indicate that FK463 should be a potent parenteral antifungal agent.

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In the presence of metallic bismuth, bismuth(III) chloride–metallic zinc, or bismuth(III) chloride–metallic iron, allylic halides have been found to react with aldehydes under mild conditions to give the corresponding homoallylic alcohols in high yields with high chemo-, regio-, and stereoselectivity. Allylic halides have been also found to react with aldehydes at room temperature in tetrahydrofuran–water by using bismuth(III) chloride–metallic aluminium to afford the expected homoallylic alcohols in high yields.

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