Tioconazole is an imidazole antifungal drug used primarily for vulvovaginal candidiasis (vaginal yeast infection), but it can be used for skin infections such as ringworm, jock itch, athlete's foot, and tinea versicolor or "sun fungus". Tioconazole is applied topically to the infected area then absorbed into the infected cell to target the fungal cells. It can also be taken orally. Terconazole inhibits lanosterol 14-alpha demethylase in the endoplasmic reticulum of fungal cells. Lanosterol 14-alpha demethylase is the enzyme that catalyzes the synthesis of 4,4'-dimethyl cholesta-8,14,24-triene-3-beta-ol from lanosterol. With this enzyme inhibited ergosterol synthesis cannot occur which causes a significant low concentration of ergosterol in the fungal cell. Ergosterol is essential in maintaining membrane integrity in fungi. Without ergosterol, the fungus cell cannot synthesize membranes thereby increasing fluidity and preventing growth of new cells. This leads to cell lysis which causes it to collapse and die. Through unknown mechanisms, tioconazole may also inhibit endogenous respiration, interact with membrane phospholipids, inhibit the transformation of yeasts to mycelial forms and the uptake of purine, impair triglyceride and/or phospholipid biosynthesis, and inhibit the movement of calcium and potassium ions across the cell membrane by blocking the ion transport pathway known as the Gardos channel.

Tioconazole Pathway References