Recent Progress in the Discovery of Antifungal Agents Targeting the Cell Wall

J Med Chem. 2020 Nov 12;63(21):12429-12459. doi: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.0c00748. Epub 2020 Aug 4.

Abstract

Due to the limit of available treatments and the emergence of drug resistance in the clinic, invasive fungal infections are an intractable problem with high morbidity and mortality. The cell wall, as a fungi-specific structure, is an appealing target for the discovery and development of novel and low-toxic antifungal agents. In an attempt to accelerate the discovery of novel cell wall targeted drugs, this Perspective will provide a comprehensive review of the progress made to date on the development of fungal cell wall inhibitors. Specifically, this review will focus on the targets, discovery process, chemical structures, antifungal activities, and structure-activity relationships. Although two types of cell wall antifungal agents are clinically available or in clinical trials, it is still a long way for the other cell wall targeted inhibitors to be translated into clinical applications. Future efforts should be focused on the identification of inhibitors against novel conserved cell wall targets.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Antifungal Agents / chemistry*
  • Antifungal Agents / metabolism
  • Antifungal Agents / pharmacology
  • Antifungal Agents / therapeutic use
  • Cell Wall / drug effects
  • Drug Discovery
  • Fungi / drug effects
  • Fungi / metabolism
  • GPI-Linked Proteins / antagonists & inhibitors
  • GPI-Linked Proteins / metabolism
  • Humans
  • Mannans / chemistry
  • Mannans / metabolism
  • Mycoses / drug therapy
  • Mycoses / pathology
  • Triterpenes / chemistry
  • Triterpenes / metabolism
  • Triterpenes / pharmacology
  • Triterpenes / therapeutic use

Substances

  • Antifungal Agents
  • GPI-Linked Proteins
  • Mannans
  • Triterpenes