Novel Triazoles with Potent and Broad-Spectrum Antifungal Activity In Vitro and In Vivo

Triazoles have demonstrated significant efficacy in the treatment of fungal infections. However, increasing drug resistance is a growing concern that negatively impacts their effectiveness. By designing a well-crafted side chain, triazoles can be endowed with advantages, like higher potency and the ability to overcome drug resistance. This highlights the diverse interactions between side chains and CYP51. To explore novel triazole antifungal agents, we synthesized three series of fluconazole-core compounds and focused on optimizing the chain based on molecule docking and in vitro results. The most potent S-F24 exhibited excellent broad-spectrum antifungal activity that was better or comparable to clinically used azoles. S-F24 maintained its potency even against multi-resistant Candida albicans. Additionally, S-F24 displayed a good safety profile with high selectivity, low hemolytic effects, and low tendency to induce resistance. Our findings collectively demonstrated that there was still a high potential for side-chain modification in the development of novel azoles.