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BMJ Clinical Evidence Jul 2009Around 15% to 25% of people are likely to have athlete's foot at any one time. The infection can spread to other parts of the body and to other people. (Review)
Review
INTRODUCTION
Around 15% to 25% of people are likely to have athlete's foot at any one time. The infection can spread to other parts of the body and to other people.
METHODS AND OUTCOMES
We conducted a systematic review and aimed to answer the following clinical question: What are the effects of topical treatments for athlete's foot? We searched: Medline, Embase, The Cochrane Library, and other important databases up to July 2008 (Clinical Evidence reviews are updated periodically; please check our website for the most up-to-date version of this review). We included harms alerts from relevant organisations such as the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).
RESULTS
We found 14 systematic reviews, RCTs, or observational studies that met our inclusion criteria. We performed a GRADE evaluation of the quality of evidence for interventions.
CONCLUSIONS
In this systematic review we present information relating to the effectiveness and safety of the following interventions: improved foot hygiene, including socks and hosiery; topical allylamines (naftifine and terbinafine); topical azoles (bifonazole, clotrimazole, econazole nitrate, miconazole nitrate, sulconazole nitrate, and tioconazole); and topical ciclopirox olamine.
Topics: Administration, Oral; Administration, Topical; Clotrimazole; Drug Administration Schedule; Econazole; Evidence-Based Medicine; Humans; Hygiene; Miconazole; Tinea Pedis
PubMed: 21696646
DOI: No ID Found -
Gels (Basel, Switzerland) Nov 2023The purpose of this work was to develop a novel topical formulation of econazole nitrate based on gel that can be easily scaled up in one pot for the potential treatment...
The purpose of this work was to develop a novel topical formulation of econazole nitrate based on gel that can be easily scaled up in one pot for the potential treatment of fungal and yeast infections. Econazole nitrate, a topical antifungal, is used to treat tinea versicolor, tinea pedis, and tinea cruris. Compared to applying cream or ointment, topical gels offer numerous advantages, one of which is that the drug is released more quickly to the intended site of action. A viscous mixture of propylene glycol, Capmul MCM C8, methyl and propyl paraben, and econazole nitrate were mixed together before being formulated into the optimized Carbopol gel bases. The gel's color, appearance, and homogeneity were assessed visually. For every formulation, the drug content, pH, viscosity, spreadability, and gel strength were characterized. The cup plate diffusion method was used to evaluate the anti-fungal activity of the prepared formulations. To assess the behavior of the developed system, studies on in vitro release and mechanism were conducted. The manufactured formulations were transparent, pale yellow, and exhibited excellent homogeneity. The pH of each formulation was roughly 6.0, making them suitable for topical use. The concentration of Carbopol 940 resulted in a significant increase in viscosity and gel strength but a significant decrease in spreadability. It was demonstrated that the prepared formulations inhibited the growth of and . In contrast, the standard blank gel showed no signs of antifungal action. By increasing the concentration of Carbopol 940, the in vitro release profile of econazole nitrate significantly decreased. Following the Korsmeyer-Peppas model fitting, all formulations exhibited n values greater than 0.5 and less than 1, indicating that diffusion and gel swelling control econazole nitrate release.
PubMed: 38131915
DOI: 10.3390/gels9120929 -
Journal of Fungi (Basel, Switzerland) Oct 2022Filamentous fungal infections of the cornea known as filamentous fungal keratitis (FK) are challenging to treat. Topical natamycin 5% is usually first-line treatment... (Review)
Review
Filamentous fungal infections of the cornea known as filamentous fungal keratitis (FK) are challenging to treat. Topical natamycin 5% is usually first-line treatment following the results of several landmark clinical trials. However, even when treated intensively, infections may progress to corneal perforation. Current topical antifungals are not always effective and are often unavailable. Alternatives topical therapies to natamycin include voriconazole, chlorhexidine, amphotericin B and econazole. Surgical therapy, typically in the form of therapeutic penetrating keratoplasty, may be required for severe cases or following corneal perforation. Alternative treatment strategies such as intrastromal or intracameral injections of antifungals may be used. However, there is often no clear treatment strategy and the evidence to guide therapy is often lacking. This review describes the different treatment options and their evidence and provides a pragmatic approach to the management of fungal keratitis, particularly for clinicians working in tropical, low-resource settings where fungal keratitis is most prevalent.
PubMed: 36294633
DOI: 10.3390/jof8101067 -
Postgraduate Medical Journal Sep 1979Since 1969, 79 cases of fungal maxillary sinusitis have been diagnosed. Forty-nine were due to Aspergillus fumigatus. There were no underlying diseases which depressed...
Since 1969, 79 cases of fungal maxillary sinusitis have been diagnosed. Forty-nine were due to Aspergillus fumigatus. There were no underlying diseases which depressed cellular immunity and no patient was receiving immunosuppressive drugs or corticosteroids. Most patients had received antibacterial therapy before the appearance of FMS. Treatment was by surgery, nystatin and econazole.
Topics: Aspergillosis; Aspergillus; Econazole; Female; Humans; Male; Maxillary Sinus; Nystatin; Sinusitis; Therapeutic Irrigation
PubMed: 523351
DOI: 10.1136/pgmj.55.647.619 -
Biomolecules & Therapeutics Jul 2020Econazole, a potent broad-spectrum antifungal agent and a Ca channel antagonist, induces cytotoxicity in leukemia cells and is used for the treatment of skin infections....
Econazole, a potent broad-spectrum antifungal agent and a Ca channel antagonist, induces cytotoxicity in leukemia cells and is used for the treatment of skin infections. However, little is known about its cytotoxic effects on solid tumor cells. Here, we investigated the molecular mechanism underlying econazole-induced toxicity and evaluated its regulatory effect on the metastasis of gastric cancer cells. Using the gastric cancer cell lines AGS and SNU1 expressing wild-type p53 we demonstrated that econazole could significantly reduce cell viability and colony-forming (tumorigenesis) ability. Econazole induced G0/G1 phase arrest, promoted apoptosis, and effectively blocked proliferation- and survival-related signal transduction pathways in gastric cancer cells. In addition, econazole inhibited the secretion of matrix metalloproteinase- 2 (MMP-2) and MMP-9, which degrade the extracellular matrix and basement membrane. Econazole also effectively inhibited the metastasis of gastric cancer cells, as confirmed from cell invasion and wound healing assays. The protein level of p53 was significantly elevated after econazole treatment of AGS and SNU1 cells. However, apoptosis was blocked in econazole-treated cells exposed to a p53-specific small-interfering RNA to eliminate p53 expression. These results provide evidence that econazole could be repurposed to induce gastric cancer cell death and inhibit cancer invasion.
PubMed: 32209732
DOI: 10.4062/biomolther.2019.201 -
FASEB Journal : Official Publication of... Aug 2019The classic concept that GPCRs function as monomers has been challenged by the emerging evidence of GPCR dimerization and oligomerization. Rhodopsin (Rh) is the only...
The classic concept that GPCRs function as monomers has been challenged by the emerging evidence of GPCR dimerization and oligomerization. Rhodopsin (Rh) is the only GPCR whose native oligomeric arrangement was revealed by atomic force microscopy demonstrating that Rh exists as a dimer. However, the role of Rh dimerization in retinal physiology is currently unknown. In this study, we identified econazole and sulconazole, two small molecules that disrupt Rh dimer contacts, by implementing a cell-based high-throughput screening assay. Racemic mixtures of identified lead compounds were separated and tested for their stereospecific binding to Rh using UV-visible spectroscopy and intrinsic fluorescence of tryptophan (Trp) 265 after illumination. By following the changes in UV-visible spectra and Trp265 fluorescence , we found that binding of -econazole modulates the formation of Meta III and quenches the intrinsic fluorescence of Trp265. In addition, electrophysiological recording revealed that -econazole slows photoresponse kinetics, whereas -econazole decreased the sensitivity of rods without effecting the kinetics. Thus, this study contributes new methodology to identify compounds that disrupt the dimerization of GPCRs in general and validates the first active compounds that disrupt the Rh dimer specifically.-Getter, T., Gulati, S., Zimmerman, R., Chen, Y., Vinberg, F., Palczewski, K. Stereospecific modulation of dimeric rhodopsin.
Topics: Cell Line, Tumor; Cell Survival; Econazole; Electrophysiology; Humans; Imidazoles; Immunoblotting; Kinetics; Protein Multimerization; Rhodopsin
PubMed: 31121099
DOI: 10.1096/fj.201900443RR -
Cell Reports. Medicine Dec 2023Cutaneous neurofibromas (cNFs) are tumors that develop in more than 99% of individuals with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1). They develop in the dermis and can number in...
Cutaneous neurofibromas (cNFs) are tumors that develop in more than 99% of individuals with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1). They develop in the dermis and can number in the thousands. cNFs can be itchy and painful and negatively impact self-esteem. There is no US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved drug for their treatment. Here, we screen a library of FDA-approved drugs using a cNF cell model derived from human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) generated from an NF1 patient. We engineer an NF1 mutation in the second allele to mimic loss of heterozygosity, differentiate the NF1 and NF1 hiPSCs into Schwann cell precursors (SCPs), and use them to screen a drug library to assess for inhibition of NF1 but not NF1 cell proliferation. We identify econazole nitrate as being effective against NF1 hiPSC-SCPs. Econazole cream selectively induces apoptosis in Nf1 murine nerve root neurosphere cells and human cNF xenografts. This study supports further testing of econazole for cNF treatment.
Topics: United States; Humans; Animals; Mice; Neurofibromatosis 1; Econazole; Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells; Neurofibroma; Skin Neoplasms; Apoptosis
PubMed: 38086379
DOI: 10.1016/j.xcrm.2023.101309 -
Scientific Reports Dec 2017The phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI3K)/AKT signaling pathway plays a pivotal role in many cellular processes, including the proliferation, survival and differentiation...
The phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI3K)/AKT signaling pathway plays a pivotal role in many cellular processes, including the proliferation, survival and differentiation of lung cancer cells. Thus, PI3K is a promising therapeutic target for lung cancer treatment. In this study, we applied free and open-source protein-ligand docking software, screened 3167 FDA-approved small molecules, and identified putative PI3Kα inhibitors. Among them, econazole nitrate, an antifungal agent, exhibited the highest activity in decreasing cell viability in pathological types of NSCLC cell lines, including H661 (large cell lung cancer) and A549 (adenocarcinoma). Econazole decreased the protein levels of p-AKT and Bcl-2, but had no effect on the phosphorylation level of ERK. It inhibited cell growth and promote apoptosis in a dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, the combination of econazole and cisplatin exhibited additive and synergistic effects in the H661 and A549 lung cancer cell lines, respectively. Finally, we demonstrated that econazole significantly suppressed A549 tumor growth in nude mice. Our findings suggest that econazole is a new PI3K inhibitor and a potential drug that can be used in lung cancer treatment alone or in combination with cisplatin.
Topics: A549 Cells; Animals; Antineoplastic Agents; Apoptosis; Cell Line, Tumor; Econazole; Humans; Lung Neoplasms; Male; Mice, Inbred BALB C; Mice, Nude; Neoplasm Transplantation; Oncogene Protein v-akt; Phosphoinositide-3 Kinase Inhibitors; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2; Signal Transduction
PubMed: 29269744
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-18178-0 -
Microbiology Spectrum Jun 2022Colistin is a last-line antibiotic which acts by causing membrane permeabilization in Gram-negative bacteria. However, its clinical value has been limited by its...
Colistin is a last-line antibiotic which acts by causing membrane permeabilization in Gram-negative bacteria. However, its clinical value has been limited by its toxicity and the emergence of resistant organisms. In this study, we showed that econazole and colistin can act synergistically to produce a strong antimicrobial effect sufficient for eradication of starvation-induced tolerant and multidrug-resistant populations of Acinetobacter baumannii, a notorious pathogen causing recalcitrant infections, both and in mouse infection models. Investigation of the underlying mechanism showed that, while colistin disrupts the membrane structure, econazole causes the dissipation of proton motive force, eliciting a vicious cycle of membrane structural damages and disruption of membrane protein functions, and eventually cell death. This drug combination therefore achieves our goal of using a much smaller dosage of colistin to produce a much stronger antimicrobial effect to tackle the problems of toxicity and resistance associated with colistin usage. Findings described in this study constitute concrete evidence that it is possible to significantly enhance the antimicrobial activity of colistin by using an antifungal drug, econazole, as a colistin adjuvant. We showed that this drug combination can kill not only multidrug-resistant A. baumannii but also the tolerant subpopulation of such strains known as persisters, which may cause chronic and recurrent infections in clinical settings. The synergistic killing effect of the econazole and colistin combination was also observable in mouse infection models at a very low concentration, suggesting that such a drug combination has high potential to be used clinically. Findings in this study therefore have important implications for enhancing its clinical application potential as well as developing new approaches to enhance treatment effectiveness and reduce suffering in patients.
Topics: Acinetobacter Infections; Acinetobacter baumannii; Animals; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Colistin; Drug Combinations; Drug Resistance, Multiple, Bacterial; Drug Synergism; Econazole; Mice; Microbial Sensitivity Tests
PubMed: 35467374
DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.00937-22