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Antimycotic

An antifungal (plural: antimycotics) is a drug that is used to treat and prevent fungal infections. Fungi (e.g. dermatophytes, yeasts or molds) can infest the skin, nails, mucous membranes or internal organs and cause various infectious diseases. Antimycotics either kill fungi (fungicidal) or inhibit fungal growth (fungistatic).

Important points about antimycotics:

1. Various mechanisms of action: Antimycotics attack the cell membrane of the fungi (e.g. by inhibiting ergosterol synthesis) or disrupt the metabolism of the fungal cells in other ways, which inhibits growth or destroys the cell.
2. Forms of application: They are available as ointments, creams, solutions, tablets or injections. The type of application depends on whether the infection needs to be treated locally (e.g. athlete's foot or nail fungus) or systemically (e.g. fungal infestation of internal organs).
3. Known classes of active ingredients:
   • Azoles (e.g. fluconazole, itraconazole, clotrimazole)
   • Polyene antibiotics (e.g. nystatin, amphotericin B)
   • Allylamines (e.g. terbinafine)
   • Echinocandins (e.g. caspofungin)
4. Resistance: As with antibiotics against bacteria, fungi can also develop resistance to certain antimycotics. Therefore, a targeted diagnosis and, if necessary, a sensitivity test is important.
5. Side effects: Depending on the preparation, side effects may occur, ranging from mild skin irritation with local applications to systemic complaints (e.g. liver dysfunction).

Overall, antimycotics are essential drugs for successfully treating a wide range of fungal infections and preventing complications.