Substituent effect of fluorine atoms in the 2,4-difluorophenyl group on antifungal activity of CS-758

CS-758 is a novel triazole antifungal agent. To ascertain the effect of the fluorine atoms in the 2,4-difluorophenyl group, a series of compounds, 12a–12d, which have fluorine atom(s) in different positions on the benzene ring, were synthesized, and the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of this series of compounds were determined. All the compounds, including CS-758, exhibited excellent MICs against Candida, Aspergillus, and Cryptococcus species. Among them, the compounds having a fluorine atom in the 2-position on the benzene ring (12a, 12c, 12d, and CS-758) showed stronger antifungal activity particularly against Aspergillus species. The MICs of these compounds surpassed those of fluconazole and itraconazole against Candida, Aspergillus, and Cryptococcus species.