Voriconazole
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voriconazole | |||||||
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Uses: | antifungal drug | ||||||
Properties: | azole compound | ||||||
Hazards: | see side effects & drug interactions | ||||||
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Voriconazole is a triazole-based antifungal drug used to treat infections due to fungi, generally used to treat invasive infection in immunocompromised patients. It is used to treat candidiasis, apergillosis, Scedosporium apiospermum and Fusarium species including Fusarium solani.
Mechanism of action
Azole-based antifungal agents, such as voriconazole, inhibit the cytochrome P450 enzyme 14-alpha-demethylase, and by doing so stop the conversion of lanosterol to ergosterol, an important component of fungal cell wall membranes. The lack of ergosterol makes the fungal cell wall permeable and inhibits cell growth.
Chemistry
The IUPAC name of voriconazole is (2R,3S)-2-(2,4-difluorophenyl)-3-(5-fluoropyrimidin-4-yl)-1-(1,2,4-triazol-1-yl)butan- 2-ol and its molecular formula, C16H14F3N5O, gives it a molecular mass of 349.3105 g/mol. The activity of the drug is based on the presence of an azole.
References & external links
- Voriconazole - FDA approved drug information (drug label) from DailyMed (U.S. National Library of Medicine).