{"title":"Opportunities in exploring chemical biology tools for better strategies against Candida albicans","authors":"Lanxin Li, Yuan Qiao","doi":"10.1016/j.cbpa.2025.102595","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The growing global prevalence of drug-resistant fungal infections and the scarcity of effective clinical antifungal drugs necessitate an urgent need for new treatments and strategies. In the quest for novel antifungal and anti-virulence compounds and alternative drug targets in fungi, we recognize the significant value of chemical biology tools in guiding these endeavors. Focusing on <em>Candida albicans</em>, the major fungal pathogen in humans, this review explores recent antifungal research efforts that utilize chemical biology tools—such as chemical probes and toolkits—that offer valuable biological insights into the cellular processes of <em>C. albicans</em>. In addition, we discuss the wealth of compounds in the host gut microbiota that naturally influence <em>C. albicans</em> invasive growth in the gut habitat, presenting promising yet underexplored opportunities for developing novel antifungal and anti-virulence strategies. Chemical biology tools are uniquely positioned to unlock the potential of gut microbiota-derived molecules and metabolites in combating <em>C. albicans</em> infections.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":291,"journal":{"name":"Current Opinion in Chemical Biology","volume":"86 ","pages":"Article 102595"},"PeriodicalIF":6.9000,"publicationDate":"2025-04-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Current Opinion in Chemical Biology","FirstCategoryId":"99","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1367593125000274","RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"BIOCHEMISTRY & MOLECULAR BIOLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
The growing global prevalence of drug-resistant fungal infections and the scarcity of effective clinical antifungal drugs necessitate an urgent need for new treatments and strategies. In the quest for novel antifungal and anti-virulence compounds and alternative drug targets in fungi, we recognize the significant value of chemical biology tools in guiding these endeavors. Focusing on Candida albicans, the major fungal pathogen in humans, this review explores recent antifungal research efforts that utilize chemical biology tools—such as chemical probes and toolkits—that offer valuable biological insights into the cellular processes of C. albicans. In addition, we discuss the wealth of compounds in the host gut microbiota that naturally influence C. albicans invasive growth in the gut habitat, presenting promising yet underexplored opportunities for developing novel antifungal and anti-virulence strategies. Chemical biology tools are uniquely positioned to unlock the potential of gut microbiota-derived molecules and metabolites in combating C. albicans infections.
期刊介绍:
COCHBI (Current Opinion in Chemical Biology) is a systematic review journal designed to offer specialists a unique and educational platform. Its goal is to help professionals stay informed about the growing volume of information in the field of Chemical Biology through systematic reviews.