REVIEW article
Front. Cell. Infect. Microbiol.
Sec. Antibiotic Resistance and New Antimicrobial drugs
Volume 15 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fcimb.2025.1662442
This article is part of the Research TopicTargeting Major Human Fungal Pathogens: Novel Insights into Virulence and Antifungal TherapiesView all 7 articles
New Antifungal Strategies and Drug Development Against WHO Critical Priority Fungal Pathogens
Provisionally accepted
- 1Northeastern University, Shenyang, China
- 2Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Shenyang, China
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Fungal infections pose a significant threat to human health, particularly in immunocompromised individuals, driving a sustained increase in the demand for effective antifungal agents. These agents can be classified into several categories based on their mechanisms of action and chemical structures, including inhibitors of sterol synthesis, cell wall synthesis, DNA synthesis, and cell membrane function. Each class exerts its antifungal effects through distinct molecular pathways that disrupt fungal cell growth and reproduction. However, the clinical utility of current antifungal therapies is hindered by challenges such as the emergence of drug resistance, limited antifungal spectra, and adverse side effects. Consequently, the development of safe and efficacious antifungal agents remains a pressing need. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the classification and molecular mechanisms of antifungal drugs, discusses the current challenges in antifungal therapy, and explores potential strategies for future drug development, aiming to inform and advance antifungal research and treatment.
Keywords: Fungal infections, antifungal resistance, Antifungal Agents, Drug Development, drug design
Received: 09 Jul 2025; Accepted: 18 Aug 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Li, Liu, Jiang, Yang, Ni, Zhang and Tan. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Lingchen Tan, Northeastern University, Shenyang, China
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