Clotrimazole

An antifungal agent that works by altering the permeability of the fungal cell wall; binds to phospholipids in the cell membrane and inhibits the biosynthesis of ergosterol and other sterols required for cell membrane production. (In Vitro) :Clotrimazole (brand name Canesten or Lotrimin) is an antifungal medication commonly used in the treatment of fungal infections (of both humans and other animals) such as vaginal yeast infections, oral thrush, and ringworm. It is also used to treat athlete's foot and jock itch.It is commonly available as an over-the-counter substance in various dosage forms, such as a cream, and also (especially in the case of ear infection) as a combination medicine. It is also available as a troche or throat lozenge (prescription only) . For ear infection, it is often applied in liquid form, as ear drops. The antimycotic drug clotrimazole inhibits the function of the gastric H, K-ATPase in a manner similar to that observed for the Na, K-ATPase. Because of the high hydrophobicity of the compound, the interaction between clotrimazole and the ion pump occurs at the membrane domain in the apolar core of the membrane. The enzymatic activity was inhibited with a half-saturating concentration of 5.2 microM. Various partial reactions of the pump cycle were analyzed with the electrochromic styryl dye RH421 that has been widely used to study the transport mechanism of P-type ATPases.