Amphotericin B (AMB) has been historically considered the 'gold standard' therapy for systemic fungal infections (14). In a pharmacodynamic profile, AMB exhibits concentration-dependent antifungal activity (4,11). On the other hand, AMB has a wide variety of acute and chronic side effects, and in particular, dosedependent nephrotoxicity has limited its use (8). Thus, the therapeutic dose is often determined by renal tolerance rather than infection severity.To reduce AMB toxicity, a liposomal formulation of AMB (AmBisome), comprising small unilamellar vesicles containing the AMB molecule, has been developed. As a consequence of AMB integration into the hydrophobic membrane, AmBisome exhibits characteristic pharmacokinetics of a liposome, and has pharmacological profiles and toxic properties different from those of AMB (1, 2, 5, 6). Although AmBisome possesses an antifungal activity, it is not clear whether it exhibits the same pharmacodynamic properties as AMB. Therefore, in this study, we conducted a timekill curve study with AmBisome and AMB deoxycholate (Fungizone) against Candida albicans in an effort to characterize the relationship between the concentration and in vitro antifungal activity, and characterized the pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) parameter predictive of the in vivo efficacy of AmBisome in a leucopenic mouse model of disseminated candidiasis.
Materials and Methods