Discovery of highly potent triazole antifungal derivatives by heterocycle-benzene bioisosteric replacement.

On the basis of our previously discovered triazole antifungal lead compounds, heterocycle-benzene bioisosteric replacement was used to improve their pharmacokinetic profile. The designed new triazole derivatives have good antifungal activity toward a wide range of pathogenic fungi. Their binding mode with the target enzyme was clarified by molecular docking. The MIC value of the highly potent compound 8f against Candida albicans, Candida tropicalis, and Cryptococcus neoformans is 0.016 μg/mL, 0.004 μg/mL, and 0.016 μg/mL, respectively. Moreover, preliminary pharmacokinetic studies revealed that it showed improved oral absorption as compared to the lead compound iodiconazole and deserved for further evaluations.