antibiotic molecule polyene antibiotic Polyenes are a group of antibiotics, particularly antifungals, that bind ergosterol, a fungal-specific sterol in the plasma membrane of fungi, causing the efflux of potassium and cell death. They were discovered in the 1930s by Richard Kuhn. They are primarily used for therapy for invasive fungal infections like invasive aspergillosis, cryptococcosis blastomycosis, etc. The two main polyenes are amphotericin B and nystatin. antibiotic_resistance ARO:3007497