Nystatin

It has been investigated for use in patients after liver transplantation, but fluconazole was found to be much more effective for preventing colonization, invasive infection, and death.

[10] It is also used in very low birth-weight (less than 1500 g or 3 lb 5oz o) infants to prevent invasive fungal infections, although fluconazole is the preferred treatment.

[7] The oral suspension form produces a number of adverse effects including but not limited to:[13] Both the oral suspension and the topical form can cause: Too high of a dosage can potentially lead to additional side effects such as:[16] Like amphotericin B and natamycin, nystatin is an ionophore.

When present in sufficient concentrations, it forms pores in the membrane that lead to K+ leakage, acidification, and death of the fungus.

[20] Conjugated double bonds in nystatin's structure steal electron density from ergosterol in fungal cell membranes.

Lipid peroxidation alters the hydrophilicity of the interior of channels in the membrane, which is necessary to transport ions and polar molecules.

[23] Following the biosynthesis of the macrolide, the compound undergoes post-synthetic modifications, which are aided by the following enzymes: GDP-mannose dehydratase (nysIII), P450 monooxygenase (nysL and nysN), aminotransferase (nysDII), and glycosyltransferase (nysDI).

[26] The two discoverers patented the drug, and then donated the $13 million in profits to a foundation to fund similar research.

[27] It is also used in cellular biology as an inhibitor of the lipid raft-caveolae endocytosis pathway on mammalian cells, at concentrations around 3 μg/ml.

[citation needed] In certain cases, a nystatin derivative has been used to prevent the spread of mold on objects such as works of art.

For example, it was applied to wood panel paintings damaged as a result of the Arno River Flood of 1966 in Florence, Italy.

When loaded in the recording pipette, it allows for measurement of electrical currents without washing out the intracellular contents, because it forms pores in the cell membrane that are permeable to only monovalent ions,[29] preferably cations such as sodium, potassium, lithium, and cesium.

[32] Due to its toxicity profile when high levels in the serum are obtained, no injectable formulations of nystatin are on the US market.

Elizabeth Lee Hazen (left) and Rachel Fuller Brown in 1955.
Penicillium -infected tangerine: The spot absent of growth had nystatin applied to it before the fungus covered the fruit.
This is a depiction of what a fusion event may look like when seen on a current measurement. There is a sudden jump in the current, followed by a slower recover as the current returns to its baseline measurement from before the fusion event. This fusion event would interrupt the stability of a nystatin pore.