Advances in the treatment of invasive fungal disease

Abstract

With over 300 million severe cases and 1.5 million deaths annually, invasive fungal diseases (IFDs) are a major medical burden and source of global morbidity and mortality. The World Health Organization (WHO) recently released the first-ever fungal priority pathogens list including 19 fungal pathogens, considering the perceived public health importance. Most of the pathogenic fungi are opportunistic and cause diseases in patients under immunocompromised conditions such as HIV infection, cancer, chemotherapy, transplantation, and immune suppressive drug therapy. Worryingly, the morbidity and mortality caused by IFDs are continuously on the rise due to the limited available antifungal therapies, the emergence of drug resistance, and the increase of population that is vulnerable to IFDs. Moreover, the COVID-19 pandemic worsened IFDs as a globe health threat as it predisposes the patients to secondary life-threatening fungi. In this mini-review, we provide a perspective on the advances and strategies for combating IFDs with antifungal therapies.

Combined in vitro/in silico approaches, molecular dynamics simulations and safety assessment of the multifunctional properties of thymol and carvacrol: A comparative insight

“…The emergence of invasive fungal infections caused by the pathogenic fungi ( C. albicans ) constituted an extensive major health concern that was magnified by the appearance of resistant isolates with reduced susceptibility to conventional antifungal agents [53] . In this regard, the use of bioactive compounds derived from medicinal plants, as alternatives to synthetic drugs, has reached a great interest in a view to tackle and treat candidiasis.…”

Discovery of New Tricyclic Oxime Sampangine Derivatives as Potent Antifungal Agents for the Treatment of Cryptococcosis and Candidiasis

“…albicans) belong to the critical priority group. The existing antifungal drugs are unable to deal with the increasingly severe IFIs due to limited efficacy and availability, toxic side effects, and serious drug resistance. , Therefore, the development of new antifungal drugs with new chemical scaffolds and mechanisms of action, along with combination drug treatment strategies, is an effective way to deal with IFIs.…”

Developing Novel Coumarin-Containing Azoles Antifungal Agents by the Scaffold Merging Strategy for Treating Azole-Resistant Candidiasis

“…Invasive fungal infections (IFIs) are infections in which fungi have established themselves in the deep tissues and have caused a protracted illness, which is emerging as a severe infectious disease worldwide. , Around 1.5–2 million individuals globally pass away from fungal infections each year, and the morbidity and mortality of IFIs have substantially grown during the past two decades . IFIs usually occur in immunocompromised patients, such as those who are infected by HIV, and therapied by chemotherapeutic drugs. , Currently, antifungal drugs used clinically are mainly classified into four types: azoles (e.g., fluconazole), polyenes (e.g., amphotericin B), echinocandins (e.g., caspofungin), and allylamines (e.g., terbinafine) (Figure ). However, using antifungal drugs in the long term easily leads to fungal resistance, and the prevalence of drug-resistant fungi is a major global health challenge .…”

“…3 IFIs usually occur in immunocompromised patients, such as those who are infected by HIV, and therapied by chemotherapeutic drugs. 4,5 Currently, antifungal drugs used clinically are mainly classified into four types: azoles (e.g., fluconazole), polyenes (e.g., amphotericin B), echinocandins (e.g., caspofungin), and allylamines (e.g., terbinafine) (Figure 1). 6 However, using antifungal drugs in the long term easily leads to fungal resistance, and the prevalence of drug-resistant fungi is a major global health challenge.…”

“…13 C NMR (101 MHz, DMSO-d 6 ) δ 162.37 (dd, J = 247.9, 12 4. Hz, C), 161.90 (C), 159.56 (dd, J = 249.4, 12.6 Hz, C), 149.09 (C), 137.96 (CH), 132.16 (CH), 131.20 (C), 129.69 (dd, J = 10.1, 5.3 Hz, CH), 128.44 (C), 127.55 (CH), 125.33 (CH), 123.52 (C), 123.02 (CH), 120.85 (C), 120.24 (dd, J = 13.6, 3.6 Hz, C), 120.11 (C), 111.95 (dd, J = 21.3, 3.4 Hz, CH), 104.15 (t, J = 26.0 Hz, CH), 69.29 (CH), 64.74 (CH 2 ), 48.97 (CH 2 ).…”