This a polyene antifungal agent, first isolated by
Gold et al from Sreptococcus nodosus in 1955. It is an amphoteric compound composed of
hydrophilic polyhydroxyl chain along one side and a lipohilic polyene hydrocarbon chain on
the other. Amphotericin B is poorly solubale in water. It is an antifungal
agent that is used both topically and systemically for various fungal infections,
especially invasive infections caused by Candida. The drug acts by binding to
steroidal alcohols in the cell membrane of susceptible fungi resulting in an increase of
membrane permeability that allows leakage of the cellular contents. Common side
effects include headache, fever, chills, irregular heartbeat, double vission, and
occasionally convulsions and numbness.
