Polyene antimycotic

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Polyene antimycotics are a class of antimicrobials that targets fungi. Amphotericin B and nystatin are examples of polyenes. Their chemical structures feature a large ring of atoms (essentially a cyclic ester ring) containing multiple conjugated carbon-carbon double bonds (hence polyene) on one side of the ring and multiple hydroxyl groups bonded to the other side of the ring. Their structures also often have an amino-glycoside group bonded to the molecule. The series of conjugated double bonds typically absorbs strongly in the ultraviolet-visible region of the electromagnetic spectrum, often resulting in the polyene antibiotics having a yellow color.

The polyenes bind to ergosterol in the fungal cell membrane and promote leakiness which may contribute to fungal cell death.