Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 3, 2026
07:51
High-throughput Identification of Synergistic Drug Combinations by the Overlap2 Method
Published on: May 21, 2018
11.5K
ASDCD: antifungal synergistic drug combination database
Xing Chen1, Biao Ren2, Ming Chen3
1National Centre for Mathematics and Interdisciplinary Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, P. R. China ; Academy of Mathematics and Systems Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, P. R. China.
Plos One
|January 30, 2014
Summary
Developing effective antifungal drugs is crucial for treating infections, especially in immunocompromised patients. This study introduces the Antifungal Synergistic Drug Combination Database (ASDCD) to aid research into novel combination therapies.
Area of Science:
- Medical Research
- Pharmacology
- Computational Biology
Background:
- Fungal infections pose significant mortality risks, particularly in immunocompromised individuals.
- Traditional single-target antifungal drugs often lead to severe side effects and drug resistance.
- Synergistic drug combinations offer a promising strategy to overcome these limitations by targeting multiple pathways.
Purpose of the Study:
- To address the need for a centralized resource for antifungal drug combination research.
- To establish the first Antifungal Synergistic Drug Combination Database (ASDCD).
- To facilitate the analysis and discovery of novel synergistic antifungal drug combinations.
Main Methods:
- Compilation of published synergistic antifungal drug combinations.
- Inclusion of data on chemical structures, drug targets, and associated signaling pathways.
- Integration of information on clinical indications and other relevant details.
Main Results:
- The ASDCD currently contains 210 synergistic antifungal drug combinations.
- The database includes 1225 drug-target interactions involving 105 distinct drugs.
- Data was curated from over 12,000 scientific references.
Conclusions:
- The ASDCD provides a valuable, freely accessible resource for researchers in antifungal drug discovery.
- This database supports the exploration of synergistic antifungal drug combinations to combat resistance and improve treatment efficacy.
- Facilitating data analysis through ASDCD can accelerate the development of next-generation antifungal therapies.
Related Concept Videos
01:15Antifungal Agents
119
Amphotericin B is a broad-spectrum antifungal agent that exploits structural differences between fungal and mammalian cell membranes. Its amphipathic structure—featuring a hydrophobic polyene-lactone ring and a hydrophilic region containing mycosamine and carboxylic acid groups—enables selective binding to ergosterol, a sterol predominantly found in fungal plasma membranes. This selective interaction underlies the drug’s antifungal activity, although weak binding to...
119
01:27Combined Effects of Drugs: Synergism
6.2K
Synergism is a useful mechanism where combining two or more drugs is more effective than each constituent used alone. Such combinations are also called supra-additive interactions. The drugs collectively enhance the final therapeutic effect by acting on different targets. Another advantage is that the low dose of each constituent drug is sufficient to achieve the desired effect. This helps reduce the duration of therapy and lower the adverse effects of these drugs.
Such synergistic combinations...
Such synergistic combinations...
6.2K
01:28Antimicrobial Effectiveness
2.3K
The effectiveness of antimicrobial agents depends on various factors influencing their ability to eliminate microbial populations. Larger microbial populations require more time for complete eradication, emphasizing the importance of population size analysis when evaluating antimicrobial efficacy.Microbial resistance to antimicrobial agents varies significantly. Highly resilient microorganisms include endospores, gram-negative bacteria, and non-enveloped viruses, while prions are exceptionally...
2.3K
01:30Combined Effects of Drugs: Antagonism
11.6K
The combined effects of drugs can result in various interactions, of which an important type is antagonism. Antagonism is a mechanism where one drug inhibits or counteracts the effects of another drug. Antagonism can occur through various means, including receptor binding, allosteric modulation, functional interaction, chemical reactions, and pharmacokinetic processes.
The most common type is receptor antagonism, where one drug acts as an antagonist to block the effects of another drug by...
The most common type is receptor antagonism, where one drug acts as an antagonist to block the effects of another drug by...
11.6K
01:28Fungal Phylum Ascomycota
2.4K
Phylum Ascomycota, a major division within the subkingdom Dikarya, comprises a diverse range of fungal species, including both unicellular yeasts and filamentous molds such as Aspergillus and Penicillium. These fungi thrive in a variety of habitats, from aquatic ecosystems to terrestrial environments, playing crucial ecological and economic roles.Morphology and ReproductionThe defining characteristic of Ascomycetes, commonly referred to as sac fungi, is the ascus—a sac-like structure that...
2.4K
01:26Pharmacokinetics: Drug–Food and Drug–Viral Interactions
695
A drug interaction occurs when the concurrent use of another drug, food, or an external substance alters the pharmacological activity of a drug. This interaction can modify the action of the original drug, affecting its effectiveness and safety.Drug–food interactions are significant as they impact drug absorption, metabolism, and excretion. For example, grapefruit juice is a well-known disruptor of drug metabolism. It inhibits the cytochrome P450 3A4 enzyme, crucial for the metabolism of...
695