One century of study: what we learned about paracoccidioides and how this pathogen contributed to advances in antifungal therapy

Resumo

Paracoccidioidomycosis (PCM) is a notable fungal infection restricted to Latin America. Since the first description of the disease by Lutz up to the present day, Brazilian researchers have contributed to the understanding of the life cycle of this pathogen and provided the possibility of new targets for antifungal therapy based on the structural and functional genomics of Paracoccidioides. In this context, in silico approaches have selected molecules that act on specific targets, such as the thioredoxin system, with promising antifungal activity against Paracoccidioides. Some of these are already in advanced development stages. In addition, the application of nanostructured systems has addressed issues related to the high toxicity of conventional PCM therapy. Thus, the contribution of molecular biology and biotechnology to the advances achieved is unquestionable. However, it is still necessary to transcend the boundaries of synthetic chemistry, pharmaco-technics, and pharmacodynamics, aiming to turn promising molecules into newly available drugs for the treatment of fungal diseases.

Descrição

Palavras-chave

Genomic, New species discovery, New targets, Antifungal

Citação

KIOSHIMA, Erika Seki et al. One century of study: what we learned about paracoccidioides and how this pathogen contributed to advances in antifungal therapy. Journal of Fungi, Basel. v. 7, n. 2, e106, 2021. DOI: 10.3390/jof7020106. Disponível em: https://www.mdpi.com/2309-608X/7/2/106. Acesso em: 7 maio 2025.