The polyene antibiotics and the N-substituted imidazoles (azoles) are two groups of clinically important antifungal drugs. Both are hydrophobic and both interact with the plasma membrane of susceptible fungi but the mode of action of the two groups is not fully resolved. In this paper their biological properties are reviewed in the context of recent work so that common features may be identified and further areas of research indicated.
Samples of the sulphates of polymyxin B and polymyxin E (colistin) have been assayed microbiologically. The content of phenylalanine was determined in the samples of polymyxin B. The compositions of the samples obtained by using thin-layer chromatography, gasliquid chromatography and high-performance liquid chromatography were compared. The relative merits of each method are discussed.
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