Ultrastructural changes in pathogenic fungi treated in vitro with chlorpromazine.

Summary: The antifungal activity of chlorpromazine, an antispychotic phenothiazine, was evaluated in vitro in Candida albicans blastospores and Trichophyton mentagrophytes hyphae. The minimal inhibitory concentrations (MIC) were 40 μg/ml for the yeast and 20 μg/ml for the dermatophyte. The most striking ultrastructural changes following treatment with the MIC consisted in the deterioration of organelles membranes, disorganization of cytoplasmic structures and autolysis. It seems plausible that the fungal toxicity of chlorpromazine depends on its direct interaction with the membranes.