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Aspartic Peptidase Inhibitors as Potential Bioactive Pharmacological Compounds Against Human Fungal Pathogens

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Combating Fungal Infections

Abstract

The development of novel antifungal drugs is becoming more demanding every day since existing drugs either have too many side-effects or they tend to lose effectiveness due to resistant fungal strains. In view of this, a number of new strategies to obstruct fungal biological processes have emerged; one of them is focused on peptidase inhibition. This particular class of hydrolytic enzymes cleaves peptide bond in proteinaceous substrates, a reaction extremely important in maintaining the physiology of all living cells. Interestingly, peptidases are also essential virulence factors for prokaryotic and eukaryote micro-organisms, including fungi, during all stages of the infection process. Consequently, peptidases are potential targets for the development of future antifungal drugs. This chapter will focus on the potential use of aspartic peptidase inhibitors against human fungal pathogens, showing the capability of these bioactive pharmacological compounds to arrest vital fungal processes such as growth, differentiation, nutrition, and interaction with host components.

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Acknowledgments

I would like to dedicate this chapter to Marta Helena Branquinha for the scientific collaboration as well as for the great friendship. I would also like to thank Roberta Valle for technical assistance. The author is a research fellow of the following Brazilian agencies: CNPq and FAPERJ.

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  1. Laboratório de Estudos Integrados em Bioquímica Microbiana, Departamento de Microbiologia Geral, Instituto de Microbiologia Prof. Paulo de Góes (IMPPG), Bloco E-subsolo, Centro de Ciências da Saúde (CCS), Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Av. Carlos Chagas Filho, 373, Cidade Universitária, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, 21941-902, Brazil

    André Luis Souza dos Santos

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  1. André Luis Souza dos Santos
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Correspondence to André Luis Souza dos Santos .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Fac. Agricultural Sciences, Dept. Agricultural Microbiology, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, 202002, India

    Iqbal Ahmad

  2. Dept. Biochemistry, Interdiciplinary Biotechnology Unit, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, 202 002, India

    Mohammad Owais

  3. J. N. Medical College, Dept. Microbiology, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, 202002, India

    Mohammed Shahid

  4. James Graham Brown Cancer Center, S. Preston Street 580, Louisville, 40202, USA

    Farrukh Aqil

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Santos, A.L.S.d. (2010). Aspartic Peptidase Inhibitors as Potential Bioactive Pharmacological Compounds Against Human Fungal Pathogens. In: Ahmad, I., Owais, M., Shahid, M., Aqil, F. (eds) Combating Fungal Infections. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-12173-9_13

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