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.
Highlights
Fungal participation in the aetiology of infections has increased considerably [1,2]
Parallel to the development of synthetic drugs, substantial attention has focused on natural products with antifungal properties, which has stimulated the search for therapeutic alternatives [6,7]
Research on crude extracts may be the first step to discovering a new promising compound, which is followed by identification of the chemical compounds responsible for the antifungal activity
Summary
Fungal participation in the aetiology of infections has increased considerably [1,2]. As medical technology has improved, the survival of patients with severe and life-threatening illnesses has led to a rapid increase in the immunosuppressed population [3]. These changes are correlated with a substantial increase in the rate of invasive fungal infections (IFIs). Parallel to the development of synthetic drugs, substantial attention has focused on natural products with antifungal properties, which has stimulated the search for therapeutic alternatives [6,7]. Therapies commonly called alternative, complementary and homemade have been used for centuries, and studies have intensively investigated plant species with medicinal properties to assess the feasibility, sustainability and affordability of the use of natural drugs [8,9]. The focus of this review was to briefly discuss the history of the antifungal arsenal, survey natural products with potential antifungal activity, discuss strategies to develop natural product derivatives, and present perspectives on the development of novel antifungal and novel drug targets
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