Antifungal properties of substituted 1-phenyl-5-mercaptotetrazoles and their oxidation product, 5-bis-(1-phenyltetrazolyl) disulfide

The antifungal effect of substituted 1-phenyl-5-mercaptotetrazoles was test ed with Candida tropicalis, C. pseudotropicalis, C. mogii, Trichosporon cut aneum, Cryptococcus albidus and S, cerevisiae. Candida strains exhibited th e lowest sensitivity to the compounds; the most sensitive was S. cerevisiae . The MIC values ranged from 40 to > 1000 mg/mL. The antifungal effect of h alogenated compounds decreased in the series of bromo > chloro > fluoro der ivatives. The electrochemical oxidation of substituted 1-phenyl-5-mercaptot etrazole derivatives in an acetonitrile medium was studied as a model for t he enzymic oxidation of the substance, including study of the effect of wat er, perchloric and trifluoromethanesulfuric acids on E-1/2 and I-1. 5-Bis-( 1-phenyltetrazolyl)disulfide, the compound with no antifungal effect, has b een identified as the main oxidation product of 1-phenyl-5-mercaptotetrazol e.