In Vitro Studies of the Antifungal Antibiotic Griseofulvin

Abstract

The therapeutic efficacy of orally administered griseofulvin for the treatment of superficial fungous infections due to dermatophytes seems established. This antibiotic was first isolated by Oxford and coworkers (1) from Penicillium griseofulvin in 1939. In 1946, Brian et at. (2) observed that cultures of P. janczewskii produced a which caused stunting of germ tubes of Botrytis allii. Grove (3) subsequently showed that this curling factor was identical to griseofulvin and established its chemical structure. The antibiotic was employed agriculturally to prevent botrytis wilt of lettuce and alternaria blight of tomatoes. (4) In 1958, Gentles (5) reported the value of griseofulvin administered by the oral route in the treatment of experimental dermatophytoses in animals. Guinea pigs experimentally infected with Micros porum canis were treated successfully with an oral dose of 60 mg./kg. of the antibiotic. Treatment was begun ten days after infection and clinical benefits were demonstrated within four days after onset of therapy. By the eighth day of treatment nearly all hair follicles were devoid of fungal elements and hair formed subsequent to therapy resisted completely further invasion by the dermatophyte. Other experiments showed that griseofulvin was strikingly effective in curing guinea pigs experimentally infected with Trichophyton mentagrophytes. Gentles states (6) that in recent work he has found 15 mg./kg. curative in guinea pigs. In an amplification of the initial report by Gentles, Martin (8) showed that experimental dermatophytoses in guinea pigs is controlled by oral doses of 25 to 100 mg./kg. of griseofulvin. He observed that the topical application of 1 per cent griseofulvin ointment suppressed the development of cutaneous lesions if applied on the fourth day following experimental infection.