Mechanism of actionClotrimazole suppresses the growth and division of microorganisms and can exert fungistatic (retarding and stopping the growth of fungal cells) or fungicidal (leading to the death of fungi) action.
Clotrimazole inhibits the synthesis of ergosterol and binds to the phospholipids of the cell membrane of the fungus, which leads to a change in the permeability of cell membranes.
Clotrimazole can cause damage to cell membranes by mechanisms not dependent on the synthesis of sterols.
Clotrimazole also disrupts vital processes in the fungal cell, suppressing the formation of components necessary for the construction of vital cellular structures (proteins, fats, DNA, polysaccharides), damages nucleic acids and increases the excretion of potassium.
Ultimately, the effect of clotrimazole on fungal cells leads to their death.
Activity spectrum
Clotrimazole is characterized by a wide range of antifungal and antibacterial activity:
- dermatophytes ( Epidermophyton floccosum, Microsporum canis, Trichophyton mentagrophytes, Trichophyton rubrum),
- yeast (Candida spp., Cryptococcus neoformans),
- dimorphic fungi (Coccidioides immitis, Histoplasma capsulatum, Paracoccidioides brasiliensis),
- the simplest (Trichomonas vaginalis).
It is also active against certain gram-positive bacteria.
Mushrooms that are resistant to clotrimazole are extremely rare; there is data only for individual strains Candida guilliermondii.
There was no reported development of resistance in clotrimazole-sensitive fungi after passage Candida albicans and Trichophyton mentagrophytes. The cases of development of resistance to clotrimazole in strains C. albicans, resistant to polyene antibiotics due to chemical mutation.