title: Early state research on antifungal natural products.
abstract: Nosocomial infections caused by fungi have increased greatly in recent years, mainly due to the rising number of immunocompromised patients. However, the available antifungal therapeutic arsenal is limited, and the development of new drugs has been slow. Therefore, the search for alternative drugs with low resistance rates and fewer side effects remains a major challenge. Plants produce a variety of medicinal components that can inhibit pathogen growth. Studies of plant species have been conducted to evaluate the characteristics of natural drug products, including their sustainability, affordability, and antimicrobial activity. A considerable number of studies of medicinal plants and alternative compounds, such as secondary metabolites, phenolic compounds, essential oils and extracts, have been performed. Thus, this review discusses the history of the antifungal arsenal, surveys natural products with potential antifungal activity, discusses strategies to develop derivatives of natural products, and presents perspectives on the development of novel antifungal drug candidates.
authors.affiliation: Universidade Estadual de Maringá, Micologia Médica, Av. Colombo, 5790, CEP 87020-900, Brazil. melyssanegri@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Melyssa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Negri
authors.affiliation: Universidade Estadual de Maringá, Micologia Médica, Av. Colombo, 5790, CEP 87020-900, Brazil. tiesvidzinski@uem.br.
authors.forename: Tânia P
authors.initials: TP
authors.lastname: Salci
authors.affiliation: Universidade Estadual de Maringá, Micologia Médica, Av. Colombo, 5790, CEP 87020-900, Brazil. cristianeshinobu@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Cristiane S
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Shinobu-Mesquita
authors.affiliation: Universidade Estadual de Maringá, Micologia Médica, Av. Colombo, 5790, CEP 87020-900, Brazil. isiscapoci@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Isis R G
authors.initials: IR
authors.lastname: Capoci
authors.affiliation: Universidade Estadual de Maringá, Micologia Médica, Av. Colombo, 5790, CEP 87020-900, Brazil. tiesvidzinski@uem.br.
authors.forename: Terezinha I E
authors.initials: TI
authors.lastname: Svidzinski
authors.affiliation: Universidade Estadual de Maringá, Micologia Médica, Av. Colombo, 5790, CEP 87020-900, Brazil. eskcotica@uem.br.
authors.forename: Erika Seki
authors.initials: ES
authors.lastname: Kioshima
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000935:Antifungal Agents / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001688:Biological Products / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005658:Fungi / Q000187:drug effects; D049673:History, 20th Century; D006801:Humans; D012106:Research / Q000266:history / Q000639:trends*
chemical_list: D000935:Antifungal Agents; D001688:Biological Products