Naftifine hydrochloride (brand names include Exoderil and Naftin) is an allylamine

antifungal drug An antifungal medication, also known as an antimycotic medication, is a pharmaceutical fungicide or fungistatic used to treat and prevent mycosis such as athlete's foot, ringworm, candidiasis (thrush), serious systemic infections such as cryp ...

for the topical treatment of

tinea pedis Dermatophytosis, also known as ringworm, is a fungal infection of the skin. Typically it results in a red, itchy, scaly, circular rash. Hair loss may occur in the area affected. Symptoms begin four to fourteen days after exposure. Multiple a ...

tinea cruris Tinea cruris, also known as jock itch, is a common type of contagious, superficial fungal infection of the groin and buttocks region, which occurs predominantly but not exclusively in men and in hot-humid climates. Typically, over the upper inner ...

, and

tinea corporis Tinea corporis is a fungal infection of the body, similar to other forms of tinea. Specifically, it is a type of dermatophytosis (or ringworm) that appears on the arms and legs, especially on glabrous skin; however, it may occur on any superficial ...

(topical fungal infections). Naftifine was invented at the

Sandoz Novartis AG is a Swiss-American multinational pharmaceutical corporation based in Basel, Switzerland and Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States (global research).name="novartis.com">https://www.novartis.com/research-development/research-loc ...

Research Institute in

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

, Austria. It was the first successful

antifungal An antifungal medication, also known as an antimycotic medication, is a pharmaceutical fungicide or fungistatic used to treat and prevent mycosis such as athlete's foot, ringworm, candidiasis (thrush), serious systemic infections such as crypto ...

medication of the

allylamine Allylamine is an organic compound with the formula C3H5NH2. This colorless liquid is the simplest stable unsaturated amine. Production and reactions All three allylamines, mono-, di-, and triallylamine, are produced by the treating allyl chlor ...

class. Naftifine has triple action: antifungal, antibacterial, and anti-inflammatory. Its

fungistatic Fungistatics are anti-fungal agents that inhibit the growth of fungus (without killing the fungus). The term ''fungistatic'' may be used as both a noun and an adjective. Fungistatics have applications in agriculture, the food industry, the paint ind ...

activity is believed to be based on inhibition of the

squalene Squalene is an organic compound. It is a triterpenoid with the formula C30H50. It is a colourless oil, although impure samples appear yellow. It was originally obtained from shark liver oil (hence its name, as ''Squalus'' is a genus of sharks). A ...

-2,3-epoxidase enzyme, which in turn results in the shortage of

ergosterol Ergosterol (ergosta-5,7,22-trien-3β-ol) is a sterol found in cell membranes of fungi and protozoa, serving many of the same functions that cholesterol serves in animal cells. Because many fungi and protozoa cannot survive without ergosterol, the ...

required for the formation of fungal cell membranes. With some fungal species, there is also fungicidal activity from a resulting accumulation of squalenes, leading to damage of the fungal cell membranes, including at the

endoplasmatic reticulum The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is, in essence, the transportation system of the eukaryotic cell, and has many other important functions such as protein folding. It is a type of organelle made up of two subunits – rough endoplasmic reticulum ...

.. Naftifine shows mostly

fungicidal Fungicides are biocidal chemical compounds or biological organisms used to kill parasitic fungi or their spores. A fungistatic inhibits their growth. Fungi can cause serious damage in agriculture, resulting in critical losses of yield, quality, ...

activity toward dematophytes and molds, and mostly

activity toward yeasts. It is also effective as an

antibacterial An antibiotic is a type of antimicrobial substance active against bacteria. It is the most important type of antibacterial agent for fighting bacterial infections, and antibiotic medications are widely used in the treatment and prevention of ...

agent in treating

pyoderma Pyoderma means any skin disease that is pyogenic (has pus). These include superficial bacterial infections such as impetigo, impetigo contagiosa, ecthyma, folliculitis, Bockhart's impetigo, furuncle, carbuncle, tropical ulcer, etc.Page 348 in: Au ...

. Naftifine is almost completely metabolized in the human body, with a half-life of 2–3 days. Its metabolytes do not have antifungal activity, and they are excreted with urine and feces.

References

Alkene derivatives Antifungals for dermatologic use 1-Naphthyl compounds {{dermatologic-drug-stub