Luliconazole is an imidazole antifungal with broad-spectrum antimycotic activity. It is active against dermatophytes such as Trichophyton spp. and Candida albicans. The compound was developed in Japan. It inhibits ergosterol biosynthesis via inhibition of sterol 14α-demethylase. It can be used to study dermatophytosis, tinea corporis, tinea pedis and others. Luliconazole has exhibited in vitro anti-cancer activity in mouse models.
| Mechanism of Action | Luliconazole inhibits ergosterol biosynthesis via inhibition of sterol 14α-demethylase. |
| Spectrum | Luliconazole has broad-spectrum antimycotic activity. It is active against dermatophytes such as Trichophyton spp. (T. rubrum, T. mentagrophytes, T. tonsurans) and Candida (albicans). It is also active against Tinea, Aspergillus, Microsporum gypseum and Epidermophyton floccosum. |
| Microbiology Applications |
Luliconazole demonstrated greater potency against Trichophyton spp. than the reference compounds with T. rubrum being the most susceptible. Luliconazole was also highly active against Candida albicans. Susceptibility testing with 58 fungal stains revealed Luliconazole inhibited growth of filamentous fungi (except zygomycetes) at low concentrations, with dermatophytes being most susceptible. The anti-yeast activity was at the same level as Lanoconazole (Uchida et al, 2004).
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| Molecular Formula | C14H9Cl2N3S2 |
| Cancer Applications | Luliconazole has been identified as a candidate for anticancer agent for solid tumors including glioblastoma, but effects on glioma-initiating cells (GICs) (glioma cells with stemlike properties that can initiate tumors), remains unclear. Researchers examined optically active compound on mouse GICs and GIC-based tumors. It impaired, in a concentration-dependent way, the growth of spheres formed by GICs in vitro. In contrast to the inhibitory effects of ionizing radiation and temozolomide on the growth of spheres, the inhibition was attenuated by adding exogenous cholesterol (Nagashima et al, 2020). |
| References |
Koga H, Nanjoh Y, Makimura K, Tsuboi R (2009) In vitro antifungal activities of Luliconazole, a new topical imidazole. Med. Mycol. 47(6):640-647 PMID 19115136 Koga H, Nanjoh Y, Kaneda H, Yamaguchi H, Tsuboi R (2012) Short-term therapy with luliconazole, a novel topical antifungal imidazole, in guinea pig models of tinea corporis and tinea pedis. Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. 56(6):3138-3143 PMID 22391525 Uchida K, Nishiyama Y, Yamaguchi H (2004) In vitro antifungal activity of luliconazole (NND-502), a novel imidazole antifungal agent. J. Infect. Chemother. 10(4):216-219 PMID 15365862 Nagashima H, Koike N, Yoshida K, Saya H and Sampetrean O (2020) Antifungal agent Luliconazole inhibits the growth of mouse glioma-initiating cells in brain explants. Keio J. of Med. 69 (4):97-104 |