title: New β-glucan inhibitors as antifungal drugs.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  New classes of synthetic and semi-synthetic β-glucan inhibitors have recently emerged, providing analogs that, in some cases, have been proven to have a high degree of activity against fungi, offering the prospect of alternatives to the commercially available lipopeptide/echinocandin agents caspofungin, micafungin and anidulafungin.
  
  
  METHODS
  This review covers applications disclosing compound classes that include synthetic pyridazinone analogs, bicyclic heteroaryl ring compounds, aniline derivates, and semi-synthetic echinocandin and enfumafungin derivatives. MK-3118 is an analog of the natural product enfumafungin that, in particular, shows promise as it has a spectrum of activity comparable with caspofungin but has the advantageous property of oral bioavailability.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The diversity of chemical classes in the present review, which have demonstrable activity against β-glucan and the prospect of oral bioavailability, offers hope that safe and effective antifungal drugs will emerge and be commercialized. Of particular note, the Merck compound MK-3118, with solid evidence of efficacy based on preclinical data, has moved into clinical trials.
authors.affiliation: University of California, Global Health Sciences, 50 Beale Street #1200, San Francisco, CA 94105, USA. rhector@psg.ucsf.edu
authors.forename: Richard F
authors.initials: RF
authors.lastname: Hector
authors.forename: Donald E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Bierer
mesh_terms: D000284:Administration, Oral; D000818:Animals; D000935:Antifungal Agents / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000493:pharmacokinetics / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001682:Biological Availability; D015195:Drug Design; D006027:Glycosides / Q000493:pharmacokinetics / Q000494:pharmacology; D006801:Humans; D009181:Mycoses / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000382:microbiology; D010330:Patents as Topic; D014315:Triterpenes / Q000493:pharmacokinetics / Q000494:pharmacology; D047071:beta-Glucans / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors*
chemical_list: D000935:Antifungal Agents; D006027:Glycosides; D014315:Triterpenes; D047071:beta-Glucans; C569338:ibrexafungerp