butenafine

Butenafine is a synthetic benzylamine antifungal drug used topically to treat various fungal skin infections, including tinea versicolor (caused by Malassezia furfur), athlete’s foot (tinea pedis), ringworm (tinea corporis), and jock itch (tinea cruris). It is structurally related to allylamine antifungals such as terbinafine and naftifine. The primary mechanism of action involves inhibition of the squalene epoxidase enzyme, which is essential for the synthesis of sterols required for fungal cell membrane integrity. This leads to altered cellular membranes in fungi, increased membrane permeability, growth inhibition, and ultimately fungicidal activity. Butenafine demonstrates superior activity against dermatophytes compared to several other topical antifungals and also shows efficacy against Candida albicans, Cryptococcus neoformans, and Aspergillus species[2][4][5][6].

Brand names

Lotrimin UltraMentaxButop

Other names

butenafine hydrochloride