Design and Synthesis of Potential Anti-fungal Drugs

Faculty Sponsor

Jeffrey Pruet

College

Arts and Sciences

Discipline(s)

Biochemistry, Organic chemistry

Presentation Type

Oral Presentation

Symposium Date

Spring 4-26-2021

Abstract

Fungal infections occur when fungus invades the tissue, however if left untreated, they can grow and affect the whole body. Antifungal drugs that are currently on the market often come with unwanted side effects, and drug resistance will also always be a problem. These issues lead to the necessity for new pathways for inhibiting fungal infections to be discovered. For this reason, we are developing a library of new antifungal agents. Methionine synthase is a crucial enzyme for living organisms, and key structural differences in the fungal form of this enzyme can be exploited. An inhibitory molecule can be made to selectively target fungal methionine synthase based on this difference. Utilizing the modelling software, Autodock, molecular modelling was done to develop theoretical molecules that target the fungal enzyme. Based on the theoretical modelling, a library of potential inhibitors was synthesized. Several compounds have shown promise when tested in an assay measuring the activity of the fungal enzyme in the presence of our compounds. To further evaluate the activity of each inhibitor, they were tested in a fungal growth assay which show zones of inhibition that prove our molecules are biologically active against fungi.

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