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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Albany, California » Western Regional Research Center » Foodborne Toxin Detection and Prevention Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #407384
Research Project: Novel Methods for the Mitigation of Human Pathogens and Mycotoxin Contamination of High Value California Specialty Crops

Location: Foodborne Toxin Detection and Prevention Research

Title: Editorial: Use of chemosensitization to augment efficacy of antifungal agents, volume II

Author
item Kim, Jong Heon
item SEBOLAI, OLIHILE - University Of The Free State
item DZHAVAKHIYA, VITALY - Russian Phytopathology Research Institute

Submitted to: Frontiers in Fungal Biology
Publication Type: Review Article
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/22/2023
Publication Date: 8/31/2023
Citation: Kim, J., Sebolai, O.M., Dzhavakhiya, V. 2023. Editorial: Use of chemosensitization to augment efficacy of antifungal agents, volume II. Frontiers in Fungal Biology. 4. Article 1275400. https://doi.org/10.3389/ffunb.2023.1275400.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/ffunb.2023.1275400

Interpretive Summary: This Research Topic describes recent advances in the field of antifungal chemosensitization, which is a strategy where combined application of a conventional antifungal drug or fungicide with a second compound, termed chemosensitizer, increases the efficacy of the drug/fungicide co-applied. The chemosensitizers are, by definition, safe compounds and, when co-applied with a commercial antifungal agent, can result in a synergistic antifungal interaction. Therefore, the approach can provide a safe measure of improving the efficacy of conventinal antifungal agents, resulting in lower dosages for antifungal treatment. The use of chemosensitizers also overcomes the resistance of fungal pathogens to commercial drugs or fungicides. In this Research Topic, four works (three original research articles, one review) were published on the recent advances in antifungal chemosensitization.

Technical Abstract: Current antifungal interventions exhibit limited efficacy. There are three major issues with conventional antifungal drugs and fungicides. The first problem is the tendency of treated fungi to develop resistance to antifungal agents. Secondly, there is a potential for negative side-effects related to the use of conventional antifungal agents to the environment or the patient. A third, and surfacing problem, is stagnation in the development of new, effective antifungal agents. Infection of crops by fungal pathogens, including those that produce mycotoxins such as aflatoxins, fumonisins, ochratoxins, etc., is also problematic since effective fungicides for preventing fungi, especially fungicide-resistant pathogens, are often limited. Of note, over 25% of current fungicide sales are azoles, such as tebuconazole, metconazole, etc. However, increased application of azoles could also provide environmental selection pressure for the emergence of human pathogens, e.g., Aspergillus fumigatus, resistant to azole clinical drugs (voriconazole, itraconazole, posaconazole, etc.) (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). In that aspect, the research articles and review paper presented in this Research Topic provide useful information and recent progress on antifungal chemosensitization for fungal pathogen control. Identification of new, safe chemosensitizing molecules and cellular targets, as well as elucidation of their precise mechanisms of action, will further the effective control of fungal pathogens.