Alternative approaches to antifungal therapies.
The expansive use of immunosuppressive medications in fields such as transplantational medicine and oncology, the higher frequency of invasive procedures in an ageing population and the HIV/AIDS pandemic have increased the frequency of systemic fungal infections. At the same time, increased resistance of pathogenic fungi to classical antifungal agents has led to sustained research efforts targeting alternative antifungal strategies. In this review, we focus on two promising approaches: cationic peptides and the targeting of fungal virulence factors. Cationic peptides are small, predominantly positively charged protein fragments that exert direct and indirect antifungal activities, one mechanism of action being the permeabilization of the fungal membrane. They include lysozyme, defensins and cathelicidins as well as novel synthetic peptides. Among fungal virulence factors, the targeting of candidal secreted aspartic proteinases seems to be a particularly promising approach.
Department of Dermatology, Eberhard-Karls-University, Tübingen, Germany.
Tarun
T
Mehra
Martin
M
Köberle
Christina
C
Braunsdorf
Daniela
D
Mailänder-Sanchez
Claudia
C
Borelli
Martin
M
Schaller
D000818:Animals; D000935:Antifungal Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D023181:Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002176:Candida albicans / Q000187:drug effects / Q000472:pathogenicity; D023082:Defensins / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003881:Dermatomycoses / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000382:microbiology; D006596:Hexosaminidases / Q000627:therapeutic use; D054808:Histatins / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D007781:Lactoferrin / Q000627:therapeutic use; D039841:Leukocyte L1 Antigen Complex / Q000627:therapeutic use; D009113:Muramidase / Q000627:therapeutic use; D010455:Peptides / Q000627:therapeutic use; D012260:Ribonucleases / Q000627:therapeutic use; D053481:Secretory Leukocyte Peptidase Inhibitor / Q000627:therapeutic use; D037521:Virulence Factors / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D054804:Cathelicidins
D000935:Antifungal Agents; D023181:Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides; D023082:Defensins; D054808:Histatins; C490098:LTF protein, human; D039841:Leukocyte L1 Antigen Complex; D010455:Peptides; D053481:Secretory Leukocyte Peptidase Inhibitor; D037521:Virulence Factors; C442243:dermcidin; D012260:Ribonucleases; C470000:Ribonuclease 7; D006596:Hexosaminidases; C086400:chitotriosidase; D009113:Muramidase; D007781:Lactoferrin; D054804:Cathelicidins