Mechanism of action
Clotrimazole inhibits the growth and division of microorganisms and, depending on the concentration, may exert a fungistatic or fungicidal action. The mechanism of action of clotrimazole is associated with a change in the permeability of cell membranes due to the effect on the synthesis of ergosterol and binding to the phospholipids of the fungal cell wall. Clotrimazole suppresses the synthesis of proteins, fats, DNA, polysaccharides, damages nucleic acids in mushroom cells and accelerates the excretion of potassium. It can also suppress the activity of oxidative and peroxidant enzymes and the biosynthesis of triglycerides and phospholipids in fungal cells. In higher concentrations clotrimazole causes damage to cell membranes by mechanisms that do not depend on the synthesis of sterols. Clotrimazole prevents the transformation of blastospore Candida albicans in invasive forms of mycelium. Changing the activity of the cell membrane leads to cell death, and this process depends on the contact of the drug with the microbes.
Activity spectrum
Clotrimazole is characterized by a wide range of antifungal and antibacterial activity. It is active against:
- dermatophytes (Epidermophyton floccosum, Microsporum canis, Trichophyton mentagrophytes, Trichophyton rubrum);
- yeast (Candida sp., Cryptococcus neoformans);
- dimorphic fungi (Coccidioides immitis, Histoplasma capsulatum. Paracoccidioides brasiliensis);
- protozoa (Trichomonas vaginalis).
Clotrimazole is also active against certain gram-positive bacteria.
In vitro Clotrimazole is characterized by a wide spectrum of fungistatic and fungicidal activity. It affects the mycelium of dermatophytes (Trichophyton, Microsporum, Epidermophyton) is similar to griseofulvin, its effect on budding yeast-like fungi (Candida) is similar to the action of polyenes (amphotericin B and nystatin). In concentrations below 1 μg / ml Clotrimazole inhibits the development of most strains Trichophyton rubrum, Trichophyton mentcigrophytes, Epidermophyton floccosum, Microsporum canis.
In concentration 3 mcg / ml clotrimazole suppress the development of most other microorganisms: Pityrosporum orbiculare, Aspergillus fumigatus, kind Candida, including Candida albicans, some strains Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pyogenes, a also some strains Proteus vulgaris and Salmonella. Clotrimazole is active against fungi of genera: Sporothrix, Cryptococcus, Cephalosporium, Fusarium. In concentrations above 100 μg / ml, it is effective against Trichomonas vaginalis.
Mushrooms that are resistant to clotrimazole are extremely rare; only single resistant strains are described Candida guilliermondii.
There was no reported development of resistance to fungi sensitive to clotrimazole after passage Candida albicans and Trichophyton mentagrophytes. Cases of development of resistance to clotrimazole strains Candida albicans, resistant to polyene antibiotics due to a chemical mutation, is not described.