抗真菌药物的免疫调节作用

正近年来,随着广谱抗生素、免疫抑制剂、抗肿瘤药物的使用及艾滋病发病人数增多,机会致病真菌感染日趋上升,以致抗真菌药应用更为广泛。常用抗真菌药物主要包括多烯类、唑类、棘白菌素类和丙烯胺类等,其机制主要通过影响真菌细胞壁、细胞膜或核酸的合成和功能等发挥作用。然而,目前研究显示各抗真菌药物并非仅局限于直接作用于真菌,亦对免疫系统有调节作用。本文就常见抗真菌药物的免疫调节作用进行综述,为进一步认识抗真菌药提供新信息。     

新的抗真菌药物靶点研究进展

近30年来,侵袭性真菌感染发病率持续上升,病死率居高不下,而治疗药物十分有限是造成其高致死率的重要因素之一。因此,发现新的抗真菌靶点和药物,已成为迫切需要。正在研究的新的抗真菌靶点如下：一是信号通路介导的抗真菌靶点,包括钙调神经磷酸酶及其分子伴侣Hsp90、3-磷酸肌醇依赖性蛋白激酶（PKH）以及参与Ras蛋白修饰的相关酶等,其拮抗剂包括传统免疫抑制剂的类似物以及Hsp90抗体、KP-372-1和PS77以及手霉素A等;二是GPI锚定蛋白合成通路的催化酶,其抑制剂有E1210和M720等化合物;三是分泌型天冬氨酸蛋白酶,肽类、逆转录病毒抑制剂,以及砜类的衍生物等均可以抑制这一靶点;四是海藻糖的合成的两个关键酶Tps1和Tps2。鉴于侵袭性真菌感染严重影响人类公共健康安全,而新型抗真菌药物的研发又依赖于新靶点的探索,因此,本文靶向这一核心真菌临床问题,系统介绍了当前新的抗真菌药物靶点发展概况,并在靶点选择可行性以及针对靶点的药物研发策略上提出见解。     

基于新靶点的抗真菌药物研究进展

侵袭性真菌感染的发病率正逐年上升。现有抗真菌药物由于抗菌谱有限、副作用大等原因,致使临床应用受限。因此,基于新靶点的抗真菌药物成为治疗真菌感染的迫切需要。近年来,抗真菌药物研究取得较大进展。其中,抑制真菌细胞壁合成的药物（如E1210和D11?2040）、抑制蛋白激酶或蛋白磷酸酶信号通路的药物（如KP?372?1、17?AAG、Mycograb）、靶向真菌毒力因子的单克隆抗体（如C7、213 Bi?18B7、188 Re?18B7）、激活宿主免疫系统的疫苗[如PEV7和β?（ Man）3?Fba?TT]等,正引起人们的关注。     

黑素与真菌抗药性的研究进展

黑素是生物界普遍存在的一类暗褐色或黑色物质,在真菌主要存在于细胞壁,与真菌的形态和毒力密切相关,具有增强真菌在逆环境中的存活力、抵抗宿主免疫攻击和耐受抗真菌药物等作用。随着临床真菌感染发病率逐渐上升,对抗真菌药物耐药现象增多,探讨真菌黑素与其抗药性关系将为阐明真菌感染的发病机制奠定基础,为开发新型的抗真菌药物提供依据。本文重点从真菌黑素的生物学特性及其与人类致病真菌抗药性方面研究进展进行阐述。     

新型抗真菌药物研究进展

侵袭性真菌感染(invasive fungal infections,IFI)以其逐年上升的发病率和致死率,已经成为人类健康的严重威胁。临床常用的抗真菌药物包括氮唑类、多烯类以及棘白菌素类等。药物治疗作为应对IFI的主要策略,现有的药物种类明显不足,并且受到真菌耐药性和药物毒副作用等越来越多的制约,使得对抗真菌新药的需求愈加迫切。新型抗真菌药物的研发策略主要包括改造现有临床常用药物和发现新靶点药物两个方面。近年值得关注的研发中的新型抗真菌药物包括:氮唑类药物VT-1161和VT-1129、葡聚糖合成酶抑制剂CD101和SCY-078、GPI锚合成抑制剂E1210、嘧啶合成抑制剂F901318、抗真菌中药和增效剂,以及其他抗真菌新药如T-2307、尼可霉素Z和VL-2397等。该文主要综述了上述新药的研究进展,包括作用机制、体内外活性以及临床试验等。     

自然杀伤细胞在真菌感染免疫的研究进展

正真菌是一类广泛存在于自然界的真核生物,目前已知真菌种属超过数百万种,只有数百种具有致病性,多数真菌仅在机体免疫改变或缺陷或正常菌群微生态失衡时才引起疾病。随着抗真菌药物、免疫抑制剂的不断使用,新型抗真菌药物和疫苗的缺乏,机体微生物组分紊乱的发生等危险因素的不断增多,近年来,真菌感染特别是机会感染呈明显上升趋势。侵袭性真菌感染是造成免疫受损患者发病和死亡的重要原因,特别是在各种原因导致的免疫受损患者中,侵袭性真菌感染风险更高~([1])。     

抗真菌药物的新作用靶点

近年来,由于各种原因真菌感染发病率明显升高,当前临床上使用的抗真菌药物都存在一定的毒副作用且出现越来越多的耐药菌株,寻找新的药物作用靶点,研发新的、高效、安全的抗真菌药物成了当务之急。现着重对抗真菌药物的几个新的药物作用靶点包括真菌细胞壁、延长因子以及双组分信号转导蛋白等进行详细阐述。     

天然化合物抗真菌活性研究进展

近年来,真菌感染患者的发病率和死亡率持续上升,但现有抗真菌药物种类依然非常少,并且耐药现象的出现使临床可选择的抗真菌药物变得更加有限.因此,对新的抗真菌药物的开发迫在眉睫,从天然产物中寻找新型高效的抗真菌药物成为目前的研究热点之一.从天然产物中筛选出具有抗真菌活性的天然化合物,有助于扩大治疗真菌感染疾病的可选药物种类,减少耐药的发生.该文归纳现有报道的具有抗真菌活性的化合物,根据其不同来源及不同化学结构进行分类,阐明不同类别天然化合物的抗真菌作用机制,为开发新型高效抗真菌药物提供前体结构及抗真菌新靶点.     

基于单克隆抗体的肿瘤免疫疗法研究进展

一百多年前,"魔术子弹"学说首次提出了具有靶向特异性的抗体可以用来治疗疾病。此后,随着单克隆抗体制备技术的成熟,以及癌症血清疗法的发展,靶向肿瘤抗原的治疗性抗体开始进入临床,至今已有20余种抗体药物用于癌症的治疗。近两年,以免疫检查点蛋白拮抗剂、双特异性抗体、抗体药物偶联药物等为代表的新一代抗体药物,不断在治疗恶性肿瘤上取得突破性进展。本文回顾了抗肿瘤抗体的发展历程,总结了新一代抗体药物的作用机制与构建策略,以及主要临床副作用。并对基于抗体的肿瘤免疫疗法未来发展趋势进行了展望。     

几种新型抗真菌药物简介

脂质型二性霉素B,新型唑类药物如伏立康唑,以及作用于真菌细胞壁的药物如卡泊芬净和米卡芬净的问世,反映了抗真菌药物研究向高效、广谱、低毒的方向发展的一个特点,无疑为各种类型真菌感染的药物治疗提供了新型的有力的手段;与传统的抗真菌药物如脱氧胆酸二性霉素B和氟康唑等相比,这些药物临床疗效好,毒副作用低,对于系统性真菌感染的防治具有重大意义,文中就这方面的信息做了简介。     

Synergy between ajoene and ketoconazole in isolates of Microsporum canis. A preliminary study using fractional inhibitory concentration technique (FIC)

Fungal infections are probably the most frequent infectious diseases affecting human being. Resistance to different anti-fungal drugs, and their bioavailability in the infection site, represent a problem for treatment. Looking for effective solutions, combination of two or more antifungal drugs to obtain an additive effect or synergic effect that potent antifungal activity has been investigated. In this study, the effect (additive, antagonist or synergistic) of ajoene and ketoconazole combination was evaluated in the growth and proliferation of filamentous fungi. Interactions in vitro were investigated in three isolates of Microsporum canis through a preliminary study using micro dilution, according to recommendations of NCCLS M-38A, with several modifications. Results obtained for CIF of each isolates studied (CIF = 0.18 0.36 microM), demonstrate that exists a very potent synergistic effect, when they are combined, and it represents a hope for future clinic trials to treat resilient fungal infections caused by M. canis.     

Cryptococcal therapies and drug targets: the old,the new and the promising

Half a century after the introduction of Amphotericin B the management of cryptococcosis remains unsatisfactory. The disease, caused primarily by the two fungal species Cryptococcus neoformans and Cryptococcus gattii, remains responsible for considerable morbidity and mortality despite standard medical care. Current therapeutic options are limited to Amphotericin B, azoles and 5‐flucytosine. However, this organism has numerous well‐characterized virulence mechanisms that are amenable to pharmacological interference and are thus potential therapeutic targets. Here, we discuss existing approved antifungal drugs, resistance mechanisms to these drugs and non‐standard antifungal drugs that have potential in treatment of cryptococcosis, including immunomodulatory strategies that synergize with antifungal drugs, such as cytokine administration or monoclonal antibodies. Finally, we summarize attempts to target well‐described virulence factors of Cryptococcus, the capsule or fungal melanin. This review emphasizes the pressing need for new therapeutic alternatives for cryptococcosis.     

抗真菌药物增效剂的研究进展

近年来,真菌耐药发生率呈逐年上升趋势,真菌对氟康唑等氮唑类药物的耐药性最为严重,成为临床抗真菌治疗失败的原因之一.对于耐药真菌的治疗,往往采用加大剂量或联合用药的方法.此外,文献报道了一些植物提取物、小分子化合物能显著增强抗真菌药物对耐药真菌的敏感性,两个药物的协同作用有望成为治疗耐药真菌的新策略.该文结合近几年的研究报道,简要综述了抗真菌药物增效剂的研究进展.     

Inhibitors of Civ1 kinase belonging to 6-aminoaromatic-2-cyclohexyldiamino purine series as potent anti-fungal compounds

There is today a blatant need for new antifungal agents, because of the recent increase in life-threatening infections involving an ever-greater number of fungal strains. Fungi make extensive use of kinases in the regulation of essential processes, in particular the cell cycle. Most fungal kinases, however, are shared with higher eukaryotes. Only the kinases which have no human homologs, such as the histidine kinases, can be used as targets for antifungal drugs design. This review describes efforts directed towards the discovery of drugs active against a novel target, the atypical cell cycle kinase, Civ1.     

Synergistic effects of geldanamycin with fluconazole are associated with reactive oxygen species in Candida tropicalis resistant to azoles and amphotericin B

With a significant increase in the incidence of system invasive fungal infections, the limited antifungal drugs and increased frequency of cross-resistance make it necessary to explore new and effective therapeutic strategies. Combination drug therapy has become one widely used choice to alleviate this problem. Geldanamycin (GdA), as an inhibitor of Hsp90, displayed broad antifungal activity when combined with fluconazole. However, due to its cytotoxicity, the dose and duration of GdA is limited. In this study, we observed the effect of fluconazole plus GdA on Candida tropicalis resistant to azoles and amphotericin B. The results showed that this synergism led to a decrease in growth and survival rate. In addition, fluconazole combined with GdA caused mitochondrial depolarisation, disruption of plasma membrane integrity and multinucleated morphology. However, the supplement of a reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenger, N-acetylcysteine (NAC), rescued the above phenotypes. This study indicated that the oxidative stress mediated by fluconazole plus GdA played an important role in the antifungal activity, and targeting oxidative stress might extend target choices to treat fungal infections.     

Inhibition of Candida albicans growth by brominated furanones

Candida albicans is the most virulent Candida species of medical importance, which presents a great threat to immunocompromised individuals such as HIV patients. Currently, there are only four classes of antifungal agents available for treating fungal infections: azoles, polyenes, pyrimidines, and echinocandins. The fast spread of multidrug resistant C. albicans strains has increased the demand for new antifungal drugs. In this study, we demonstrate the antifungal activity of brominated furanones on C. albicans. Studying the structure and activity of this class of furanones reveals that the exocyclic vinyl bromide conjugated with the carbonyl group is the most important structural element for fungal inhibition. Furthermore, gene expression analysis using DNA microarrays showed that 3 μg/mL of 4-bromo-5Z-(bromomethylene)-3-butylfuran-2-one (BF1) upregulated 32 C. albicans genes with functions of stress response, NADPH dehydrogenation, and small-molecule transport, and repressed 21 genes involved mainly in cell-wall maintenance. Interestingly, only a small overlap is observed between the gene expression changes caused by the representative brominated furanone (BF1) in this study and other antifungal drugs reported in literature. This result suggests that brominated furanones and other antifungal drugs may target different fungal proteins or genes. The existence of such new targets provides an opportunity for developing new agents to control fungal pathogens which are resistant to currently available drugs.     

Antifungal antibiotics

The search for new drugs against fungal infections is a major challenge to current research in mycotic diseases. The present article reviews the current types of antifungal infections, the current scenario of antifungal antibiotics, and the need and approaches to search for newer antifungal antibiotics and antifungal drug targets.     

The fungal cell wall as a target for the development of new antifungal therapies

In the past three decades invasive mycoses have globally emerged as a persistent source of healthcare-associated infections. The cell wall surrounding the fungal cell opposes the turgor pressure that otherwise could produce cell lysis. Thus, the cell wall is essential for maintaining fungal cell shape and integrity. Given that this structure is absent in host mammalian cells, it stands as an important target when developing selective compounds for the treatment of fungal infections. Consequently, treatment with echinocandins, a family of antifungal agents that specifically inhibits the biosynthesis of cell wall (1-3)β-D-glucan, has been established as an alternative and effective antifungal therapy. However, the existence of many pathogenic fungi resistant to single or multiple antifungal families, together with the limited arsenal of available antifungal compounds, critically affects the effectiveness of treatments against these life-threatening infections. Thus, new antifungal therapies are required. Here we review the fungal cell wall and its relevance in biotechnology as a target for the development of new antifungal compounds, disclosing the most promising cell wall inhibitors that are currently in experimental or clinical development for the treatment of some invasive mycoses.