Pecilocin


Pecilocin is a pyrrolidine anti-fungal. It is produced by Paecilomyces varioti Bainer var. antibioticus and was first isolated by Setsuo Takeuchi in 1959. Later, it was established that other fungi also produce this compound, which include Aspergillus candidus and Aspergillus montenegroi.

Uses

Pecilocin is indicated for topical treatment of fungal infections of skin and its adnexa, i.e.:

Antifungal spectrum

Pecilocin is a fungistatic and has activity against genera Blastomyces, Cryptococcus, Epidermophyton, Microsporum and Trichophyton. C. albicans is inherently resistant.

Adverse effects

Common adverse effects associated with pecilocin include: skin irritation, as well as contact dermatitis. Some patients might exhibit allergy to pecilocin.

Biosynthesis

A radioactive carbon study of pecilocin biosynthetic pathway conducted by Nobuo Tanaka showed it is synthesised from acetic acid, glutamate and L-methionine.