Abstract
Introduction: Amphotericin B (AmB) which belongs to the polyene group has a wide spectrum in vitro and in vivo
antimicrobial activity against fungi and parasites, but resistance to AmB is rare despite extensive use.
Material and methods: Atotal of 2530 articles were investigated in PubMed (n = 1525), Medline (n = 705), and Google Scholar (n = 300). From 2530 articles, only 61 studies were included in this review. All the short and full articles
were searched that were scheduled to be published until April 2020.
Results: After its discovery, AmB has been one of the most common fist-line choices in treating systemic fungal infection for over seven decades from its discovery. Recently, some studies have focused on the potential antimicrobial
action ofAmB against some enveloped and non-enveloped viruses, such as human immunodefiiency virus, Japanese
encephalitis virus, herpes simplex virus, and Rubella virus.
Discussion: Among the invading pathogens, viruses constitute the most common ones,Due to the continuous spreading
of viral infections with the rise in death numbers, new therapeutics development is urgent, as in general, some lethal
viruses have no specifi antiviral drugs or vaccines. So, this review may serve as an impetus for researchers working
in the fild of medical microbiology, vaccination, and antiviral drug design by discussing the most recent information
about the antiviral action ofAmB, as well as trying to provide a deeper understanding of major properties, mechanisms
of action, immune system responses, and antimicrobial effiency ofAmB.
Conclusion: Since AmB is expected to alter the structure of the viral envelope, membrane integrity of cells, and
internal cellular organelles, besides its other unique properties, such as host immunomodulatory effcts, this review
suggested that AmB as an effctive anti-fungi drug may hold the promise of formulating a novel therapeutic option to
treat many dangerous viruses, including those for treating which there are no active drugs or vaccines.