Deciphering the Biological Activities of Antifungal Agents with Chemical Probes

The growing number of fungal infections caused by pathogens resistant to one or more classes of antifungal drugs emphasizes the threat that these microorganisms pose to animal and human health and global food security. Open questions remain regarding the mechanisms of action of the limited repertoire of antifungal agents, making it challenging to rationally develop more efficacious therapeutics. In recent years, the use of chemical biology approaches has resolved some of these questions and has provided new promising concepts to guide the design of antifungal agents. By focusing on examples from studies carried out in recent years, this minireview describes the key roles that probes based on antifungal agents and their derivatives have played in uncovering details about their activities, in detecting resistance, and in characterizing the interactions between these agents and their targets.

Automated summary

The increasing number of fungal infections caused by drug-resistant pathogens highlights the threat they pose to animal and human health, as well as global food security. The limited understanding of the mechanisms of antifungal agents makes it difficult to develop more effective therapies. However, the use of chemical biology approaches has provided promising concepts for the design of antifungal agents, as they have helped uncover details about their activities, detect resistance, and characterize the interactions between these agents and their targets.