A Highlight on the Inhibition of Fungal Carbonic Anhydrases as Drug Targets for the Antifungal Armamentarium

Carbon dioxide (CO(2)), a vital molecule of the carbon cycle, is a critical component in living organisms’ metabolism, performing functions that lead to the building of compounds fundamental for the life cycle. In all living organisms, the CO(2)/bicarbonate (HCO(3)(−)) balancing is governed by a superfamily of enzymes, known as carbonic anhydrases (CAs, EC 4.2.1.1). CAs catalyze the pivotal physiological reaction, consisting of the reversible hydration of the CO(2) to HCO(3)(−) and protons. Opportunistic and pathogenic fungi can sense the environmental CO(2) levels, which influence their virulence or environmental subsistence traits. The fungal CO(2)-sensing is directly stimulated by HCO(3)(−) produced in a CA-dependent manner, which directly activates adenylyl cyclase (AC) involved in the fungal spore formation. The interference with CA activity may impair fungal growth and virulence, making this approach interesting for designing antifungal drugs with a novel mechanism of action: the inhibition of CAs linked to the CO(2)/HCO(3)(−)/pH chemosensing and signaling. This review reports that sulfonamides and their bioisosteres as well as inorganic anions can inhibit in vitro the β- and α-CAs from the fungi, suggesting how CAs may be considered as a novel “pathogen protein” target of many opportunistic, pathogenic fungi.