Mechanism of Action and Biochemical Selectivity of Allylamine Antimycotic Agents

The allylamines are a recently developed class of synthetic antifungal agents currently represented by naftidine, which is a topical antimycotic, and terbinafine, which is in advanced clinical trials for both topical and oral application. These compounds are effective against a wide range of pathogenic fungi and have exceptionally high activity against dermatophytes. This report summarizes our current knowledge of the biochemistry of the allylamines in both fungal and mammalian systems and of how this is translated into biological activity.