Antiviral And Antifungal Drugs W9

Question 1

Types of common pathogens/infections

Answer 1

Thrush
Oral thrush
Athletes foot
Toe nail infections
Dandruff

Question 2

Dandruff shampoo

Answer 2

•zinc pyrithione – works by killing the malassezia fungi thought partially responsible for dandruff

•salicylic acid – which helps soften and shed dead skin cells on your scalp

•ketoconazole shampoo – which has a powerful antifungal effect

•coal tar shampoo – this again can help slow production of dead skin cells

Question 3

Fungal vs mammalian cells

Answer 3

Cell structure
- animal = eukary
- fungi = eukary

Cell wall
- animal = no
- fungi = chitin

Cell membrane
- animal = cholesterol
- fungi = ergosterol

Question 4

What are the targets for antifungal therapy?

Answer 4

Cell membrane
Fungi use principally ergosterol instead of cholesterol

DNA Synthesis
Some compounds may be selectively activated by fungi, arresting DNA synthesis.

Cell Wall
Unlike mammalian cells, fungi have a cell wall

Question 5

Ergosterol function

Answer 5

Is a steroid

role in the function of the fungal cell wall

serving a role similar to cholesterol

maintain the fluidity/structural integrity of the fungal cell membrane to temp changes

stabilize the phospholipid bilayer by interacting with the lipid tails

Question 6

Azole mode of action

Answer 6

inhibit the synthesis of ergosterol

target the enzyme 14α-demethylase, involved in the conversion of lanosterol to ergosterol.

Without proper ergosterol synthesis, the membrane becomes unable to maintain its integrity, leading to leakage of cellular contents and cell death.

These are no functional substitutes for ergosterol