In vivo efficacy of antifungal oxoaporphine alkaloids in experimental disseminated candidiasis.

The efficacy of three antifungal oxoaporphine alkaloids, liriodenine, liriodenine methiodide, and oxoglaucine methiodide, was determined in a mouse model of disseminated candidiasis. Mice infected with a lethal dose of Candida albicans NIH B311 were administered varying doses of each drug intraperitoneally or intravenously 7 hr postinfection. Reductions in the number of colony-forming units (CFU) recovered per milligram of kidney tissue were observed in drug-treated animals compared to vehicle-treated control mice. Significance was determined by the Wilcoxon nonparametric rank sum test. Intravenous administration of both liriodenine and liriodenine methiodide resulted in a significant reduction in the number of recovered CFU, while there was no significant response to treatment with oxoglaucine methiodide.