Question:

Which of the following is a structural feature of polyene antifungal agents?

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Antifungal drugs are sorted into classes by their chemical structure, and each class has a characteristic feature you can recognise by name. Polyene means "many double bonds".
Updated On: Jun 24, 2026
  • A triazole ring
  • A large lactone ring with multiple conjugated double bonds
  • A pyrimidine base
  • An allylamine side chain
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The Correct Option is B

Solution and Explanation

Concept:
Antifungal drugs are sorted into classes by their chemical structure, and each class has a characteristic feature you can recognise by name. Polyene means "many double bonds".

Step 1: Polyene antifungals such as amphotericin B and nystatin are built on a large macrolide (macrocyclic lactone) ring.

Step 2: Around that ring is a stretch of several alternating (conjugated) carbon-carbon double bonds — the "polyene" part. This conjugated system lets the drug bind ergosterol in the fungal membrane and punch holes in it.

Why the others are wrong: A triazole ring is the feature of azole antifungals (fluconazole). An allylamine side chain belongs to terbinafine. A pyrimidine base describes flucytosine. Only the large lactone ring with conjugated double bonds defines the polyenes.

Answer: Option (2) — A large lactone ring with multiple conjugated double bonds.
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