Flutrimazole is a wide-spectrum

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 ...

drug. It is used for the topical treatment of superficial

mycoses Fungal infection, also known as mycosis, is disease caused by fungi. Different types are traditionally divided according to the part of the body affected; superficial, subcutaneous, and systemic. Superficial fungal infections include common ...

of the

skin Skin is the layer of usually soft, flexible outer tissue covering the body of a vertebrate animal, with three main functions: protection, regulation, and sensation. Other animal coverings, such as the arthropod exoskeleton, have different ...

. Flutrimazole is an

imidazole Imidazole (ImH) is an organic compound with the formula C3N2H4. It is a white or colourless solid that is soluble in water, producing a mildly alkaline solution. In chemistry, it is an aromatic heterocycle, classified as a diazole, and has non ...

derivative. Its antifungal activity has been demonstrated in ''in vivo'' and ''in vitro'' studies to be comparable to that of

clotrimazole Clotrimazole, sold under the brand name Lotrimin, among others, is an antifungal medication. It is used to treat vaginal yeast infections, oral thrush, diaper rash, tinea versicolor, and types of ringworm including athlete's foot and jock ...

and higher than

bifonazole Bifonazole (trade name Canespor among others) is an imidazole antifungal drug used in form of ointments. It was patented in 1974 and approved for medical use in 1983. There are also combinations with carbamide for the treatment of onychomycos ...

Mechanism of action

It interferes with the synthesis 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, t ...

by inhibiting the activity of the

enzyme Enzymes () are proteins that act as biological catalysts by accelerating chemical reactions. The molecules upon which enzymes may act are called substrates, and the enzyme converts the substrates into different molecules known as products ...

lanosterol 14 α-demethylase.

References

The Merck Index, 12th Edition. 4247 Fluoroarenes Imidazole antifungals Lanosterol 14α-demethylase inhibitors {{genito-urinary-drug-stub

Mechanism of action

See also

References