Antifungals Flashcards
What are mycoses?
Fungal diseases
What do superficial mycoses affect?
Scalp, nails, skin, mucous membranes (mouth and vagina).
What do systemic mycoses affect?
Internal organs (kidneys, lungs, brain)
Which kind of mycoses are fatal in immunocompromised patients
Systemic
Components of the fungal skeletal cell wall
Glucan and chitin
Echinocandins like caspofungin and micafungin work by…
Inhibiting enzyme responsible for glucan synthase thus blocking synthesis of glucan so fungal cell wall cannot form.
The most common target for antifungals is the…
Plasma membrane
Ergosterol is a part of the fungal plasma membrane. What happens in the absence of ergosterol?
The fungal cells cant grow and survive because the plasma membrane is not intact
What are antifungals that bind to ergosterol known as?
Polyene antifungals
How do polyene antifungals work?
Bid to ergosterol and make pores in the plasma membrane causing the constituents of the cell to leak out.
Examples of polyene antifungals
Amphotericin B and Nystatin
What is nystatin used to treat?
Oral and GI fungal infection
What is lanosterol demethylation is responsible in the production of…
ergosterol
What are ergosterol synthesis inhibitors known as?
Azoles
What do Azoles do?
Inhibit the enzyme responsible for making ergosterol
