A review on: history, pharmacological potential of medicinally important antifungal azole derivative

Fungal infections in critically ill or immune suppressed patients were increasing in incidence in the human population over the last 1-2 decades. There were few advances in antifungal therapy until recently; there were few choices from which to select a treatment for systemic mycoses. While, in the past decade, there have been several developments in this area. Antifungal agents are sufficiently diverse in activity, toxicity and drug interaction potential. Azoles are synthetic and semi-synthetic compounds. They have an extensive spectrum of activity. Triazole antifungal is active to treat an array of fungal pathogens, whereas imidazoles are used almost exclusively in the treatment of superficial mycoses and vaginal candidacies. In spite of the advances, serious fungal infections remain difficult to treat and resistance to the available drugs is emerging. Use of the now accessible azoles in combination with other antifungal agents with different mechanisms of action is likely to provide enhanced efficacy. The present review aims to explore the pharmacology, pharmacokinetics, spectrum of activity, safety, toxicity and potential for drug–drug interactions of the azole antifungal agents.