caspofungin

Also known as MK-991, 1-[(4R,5S)-5-[(2-Aminoethyl)amino]-N(2)-(10,12-dimethyl-1-oxotetradecyl)-4-hydroxy-L-ornithine]-5-[(3R)-3-hydroxy-L-ornithine]-pneumocandin b0, (4R,5S)-5-((2-Aminoethyl)amino)-N(2)-(10,12-dimethyltetradecanoyl)-4-hydroxy-L-ornithyl-L-threonyl-trans-4-hydroxy-L-prolyl-(S)-4-hydroxy-4-(P-hydroxyphenyl)-L-threonyl-threo-3-hydroxy-L-ornithyl-trans-3-hydroxy-L-proline cyclic (6-1)-peptide, L-743872

Caspofungin (INN; brand name Cancidas) is a lipopeptide antifungal drug from Merck & Co., Inc. It is a member of a class of antifungals termed the echinocandins. It works by inhibiting the enzyme (1→3)-β-D-glucan synthase and thereby disturbing the integrity of the fungal cell wall.

Key facts

Drug.Verifiedfields: changed
Drug.Watchedfields: changed
Drug.image: Caspofungin.svg
Drug.image_class: skin-invert-image
Drug.width: 275
Drug.tradename: Cancidas
Drug.MedlinePlus: a615001
Drug.DailyMedID: Caspofungin
Drug.pregnancy_AU: B3
Drug.routes_of_administration: Intravenous
Drug.ATC_prefix: J02
Drug.ATC_suffix: AX04
Drug.legal_AU: S4
Drug.legal_US: Rx-only
Drug.legal_EU: Rx-only
Drug.legal_status: Rx-only
Drug.bioavailability: 100% (intravenous use only)
Drug.protein_bound: ~97%

via Wikipedia infobox

Chemical data

Formula: C52H88N10O15
Molecular weight: 1093.3 g/mol
IUPAC name: N-[(3S,6S,9S,11R,15S,18S,20R,21S,24S,25S)-21-(2-aminoethylamino)-3-[(1R)-3-amino-1-hydroxypropyl]-6-[(1S,2S)-1,2-dihydroxy-2-(4-hydroxyphenyl)ethyl]-11,20,25-trihydroxy-15-[(1R)-1-hydroxyethyl]-2,5,8,14,17,23-hexaoxo-1,4,7,13,16,22-hexazatricyclo[22.3.0.09,13]heptacosan-18-yl]-10,12-dimethyltetradecanamide
SMILES: CCC(C)CC(C)CCCCCCCCC(=O)N[C@H]1C[C@H]([C@H](NC(=O)[C@@H]2[C@H](CCN2C(=O)[C@@H](NC(=O)[C@@H](NC(=O)[C@@H]3C[C@H](CN3C(=O)[C@@H](NC1=O)[C@@H](C)O)O)[C@@H]([C@H](C4=CC=C(C=C4)O)O)O)[C@@H](CCN)O)O)NCCN)O
InChIKey: JYIKNQVWKBUSNH-OGZDCFRISA-N
XLogP: 0.3
Polar surface area: 412 Å²
H-bond donors: 16
H-bond acceptors: 18
Formal charge: 0

via PubChem

Research

4,117 papers

Caspofungin.Indian pediatrics · 2008
Isavuconazole Versus Caspofungin in the Treatment of Candidemia and Other Invasive Candida Infections: The ACTIVE Trial.Clinical infectious diseases : an official publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America · 2019
Caspofungin resistance in Candida albicans: genetic factors and synergistic compounds for combination therapies.Brazilian journal of microbiology : [publication of the Brazilian Society for Microbiology] · 2022
Rezafungin vs caspofungin for the treatment of invasive candidiasis: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Diagnostic microbiology and infectious disease · 2025
Caspofungin: a review of its characteristics, activity, and use in intensive care units.Expert review of anti-infective therapy · 2020

via PubMed

Wikidata facts

Mass: 1092.643062

Show 6 more facts

chemical formula: C₅₂H₈₈N₁₀O₁₅
canonical SMILES: CCC(C)CC(C)CCCCCCCCC(=O)NC1CC(C(NC(=O)C2C(CCN2C(=O)C(NC(=O)C(NC(=O)C3CC(CN3C(=O)C(NC1=O)C(C)O)O)C(C(C4=CC=C(C=C4)O)O)O)C(CCN)O)O)NCCN)O
isomeric SMILES: CCC(C)CC(C)CCCCCCCCC(=O)N[C@H]1C[C@H]([C@H](NC(=O)[C@@H]2[C@H](CCN2C(=O)[C@@H](NC(=O)[C@@H](NC(=O)[C@@H]3C[C@H](CN3C(=O)[C@@H](NC1=O)[C@@H](C)O)O)[C@@H]([C@H](C4=CC=C(C=C4)O)O)O)[C@@H](CCN)O)O)NCCN)O
defined daily dose: 50
NCI Thesaurus ID: C28910
Commons category: Caspofungin

Sources (3)

via Wikidata · CC0

~10 min read

Article

10 sections

Contents

Medical uses
Spectrum of activity
Specific populations
Adverse effects
Liver effects
Sensitivity reactions
Pharmacology
Pharmacokinetics
Interactions
References

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