Abstract
The current treatment scenario for antifungal drugs is limited and requires more research. Three structural classes of drugs, namely polyenes, azoles, and echinocandins, are widely used in the treatment of human fungal infections caused by Candida species. Although there is an increase in the number of antifungals, the number of issues (resistance, toxicity, and adverse effects) with these drugs has also increased. To address such issues, we have previously reported that a natural compound, Sodium lignosulfonate (LIG), that exhibits in vitro susceptibility against major Candida species, making it a potent lead. However, the pharmacological acceptance of LIG as a lead molecule is dependent on a plethora of pharmacological properties. Therefore, we have deciphered some important pharmacological properties of LIG, like aqueous solubility, lipophilicity index, pKa, bioavailability, plasma protein binding behavior, etc., in this study. Further, we have noticed a significant reduction in the growth and development of the human fungal pathogen Candida albicans cells after 24 h of treatment with LIG. Overall results strongly indicated LIG as a bioactive molecule, and the pharmacological significance of LIG could be selected for further in vivo and clinical studies to make it an effective antifungal biotherapeutic molecule in the future.