title: [Activity of butenafine against ocular pathogenic filamentous fungi in vitro].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate antifungal activity of butenafine in comparison with that of natamycin, amphotericin B and fluconazole against ocular pathogenic filamentous fungi in vitro.
  
  
  METHODS
  It was an experimental study. Susceptibility tests were performed against 260 isolates of ocular pathogenic filamentous fungi by broth dilution antifungal susceptibility test of filamentous fungi approved by the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) M38-A document. The isolates included Fusarium spp. (136), Aspergillus spp. (98), Alternaria alternata (9), Curvularia lunata (3), and unusual ocular pathogens (14). Final concentration ranged from 0.008 to 16.000 mg/L for butenafine, from 0.031 to 16.000 mg/L for amphotericin B and natamycin, and from 0.5 to 256.0 mg/L for fluconazole. Following incubation at 35 degrees C for 48 h, minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) was determined according to the CLSI M38-A document. For amphotericin B and natamycin, the MIC was defined as the lowest drug concentration that prevented any discernible growth. For butenafine and fluconazole, the MIC was defined as the lowest concentration in which an approximately 75% reduction compared to the growth of the control was observed. Candida parapsilosis ATCC22019 was used as quality control strains to validated the results. Mean MIC and MIC range, the MIC at which 50% of the isolates tested were inhibited (MIC(50)) and the MIC at which 90% of the isolates tested were inhibited (MIC(90)), were provided for all the isolates tested by using descriptive statistical analysis with the statistical SPSS package (version 13.0).
  
  
  RESULTS
  MIC(90) of butenafine, natamycin, amphotericin B and fluconazole were 4, 8, 2 and 512 mg/L for Fusarium spp., respectively; 0.063, 32.000, 2.000 and 256.000 mg/L for Aspergillus spp., respectively; 0.5, 8.0, 2.0 and 128.0 mg/L for Alternaria alternate, respectively; 0.125, 2.000, 0.500 and 4.000 mg/L for Curvularia lunata, respectively; and 1, 4, 1 and 256 mg/L for unusual ocular pathogens, respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Butenafine exhibits potent antifungal activity against a wide variety of ocular pathogenic fungi, especially for Aspergillus spp., Alternaria alternata, Curvularia lunata, and some unusual ocular pathogens and may have a role in future studies of antifungal eye drops and treating fungal keratitis.
authors.affiliation: Henan Eye Institute, Zhengzhou 450003, China. xuyan990301@yahoo.com.cn
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Guang-ren
authors.initials: GR
authors.lastname: Pang
authors.forename: Dong-qing
authors.initials: DQ
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Chuan-wen
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.forename: Lu-tan
authors.initials: LT
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Sheng-tao
authors.initials: ST
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: Bing-liang
authors.initials: BL
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Zu-ji
authors.initials: ZJ
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D000666:Amphotericin B / Q000494:pharmacology; D000935:Antifungal Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001596:Benzylamines / Q000494:pharmacology*; D015821:Eye Infections, Fungal / Q000382:microbiology; D015725:Fluconazole / Q000494:pharmacology; D005658:Fungi / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006801:Humans; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D009281:Naphthalenes / Q000494:pharmacology*; D010866:Natamycin / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D000935:Antifungal Agents; D001596:Benzylamines; D009281:Naphthalenes; D000666:Amphotericin B; D010866:Natamycin; D015725:Fluconazole; C067594:butenafine