Tolerance of human pathogenic fungi to antifungal drugs is an emerging medical problem. We show how strains of the causative agent of human aspergillosis, Aspergillus fumigatus, tolerant to cell wall-interfering antimycotic drugs become susceptible through chemosensitization by natural compounds. Tolerance of the A. fumigatus mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) mutant, sakADelta, to these d...

In order to use natural compounds in controlling plant pests and diseases, many researchers in recent years have studied the antifungal effects of essential oils and plant extracts.  The purpose of this study was to investigate the chemical composition and antifungal effects of Echium khuzestanium and marubbium anisodan extracts. After extraction and preparation of di...

There has been a sharp rise in the occurrence of Candida infections and associated mortality over the last few years, due to the growing body of immunocompromised population. Limited number of currently available antifungal agents, undesirable side effects and toxicity, as well as emergence of resistant strains pose a considerable clinical challenge for the treatment of candidiasis. Therefore, ...

We found that amiodarone has potent antifungal activity against a broad range of fungi, potentially defining a new class of antimycotics. Investigations into its molecular mechanisms showed amiodarone mobilized intracellular Ca2+, which is thought to be an important antifungal characteristic of its fungicidal activity. Amiodarone is a synthetic drug based on the benzofuran ring system, which is...

The need for safe and effective antifungal agents increases in parallel with the expanding number of immunocompromised patients at risk for invasive fungal infections. The emergence of fungal pathogens resistant to current therapies further compounds the dearth of antifungal agents. Currently available antifungal compounds act on targets also found in mammalian cells (34), which may result in t...

BACKGROUND Essential oil components (EOCs) are known for their antifungal properties; however, their high volatility limits their application as antimicrobial agents. Strategies used for controlling the volatility of EOCs include encapsulation or loading into porous materials. This study evaluated the in vitro antifungal activity of selected EOCs (carvacrol, cinnamaldehyde, eugenol and thymol) ...

In order to identify natural products for plant disease control, the essential oil of star anise (Illicium verum Hook. f.) fruit was investigated for its antifungal activity on plant pathogenic fungi. The fruit essential oil obtained by hydro-distillation was analyzed for its chemical composition by gas chromatography (GC) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). trans-Anethole (89.5%)...

Natural compounds that pose no significant medical or environmental side effects are potential sources of antifungal agents, either in their nascent form or as structural backbones for more effective derivatives. Kojic acid (KA) is one such compound. It is a natural by-product of fungal fermentation commonly employed by food and cosmetic industries. We show that KA greatly lowers minimum inhibi...

A number of benzoic acid analogues showed antifungal activity against strains of Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus fumigatus and Aspergillus terreus, causative agents of human aspergillosis, in in vitro bioassays. Structure-activity analysis revealed that antifungal activities of benzoic and gallic acids were increased by addition of a methyl, methoxyl or chloro group at position 4 of the aromati...

As part of our search for new antifungal agents from natural resources, 22 C-27 steroidal saponins and 6 steroidal sapogenins isolated from several monocotyledonous plants were tested for their antifungal activity against the opportunistic pathogens Candida albicans, Candida glabrata, Candida krusei, Cryptococcus neoformans, and Aspergillus fumigatus. The results showed that the antifungal acti...