the compounds useful in the method of this invention are described , together with a chemical process for their production , in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 647 , 576 which is incorporated herein by reference . the compounds are capable of existing either in the closed - ring lactone form of formula i above , or may be converted to the corresponding β , δ - dihydroxyheptanoic acid open - ring form by the action of , for example , dilute aqueous base such as sodium hydroxide solution . the dihydroxyacid form may be employed as such in the method of this invention , or may be administered in the form of a pharmaceutically acceptable salt . the salts are formed by opening the lactone ring with the appropriate base such as the hydroxide or carbonate of the desired metal . suitable salts are the sodium , potassium , calcium , and magnesium salts . specific examples of compounds contemplated as falling within the scope of the present invention include the following ( named in the lactone form ): the antimicrobial susceptibilities of eleven strains of candida albicans , two strains of candida tropicans , and one strain each of torulopsis glabrata and cryptococcus neoformans to several representative compounds of the present invention were tested . for comparison , the known antifungal agents amphotericin - b and ketoconazole were also tested . minimal inhibitory concentrations ( mic &# 39 ; s ) for each compound were determined using the microbroth dilution technique described by s . shadomy , et al , &# 34 ; laboratory studies with antifungal agents : susceptibility tests and bioassays ,&# 34 ; pp . 991 - 999 in manual clin . microbiol ., 4th ed ., amer . soc . for microbiol ., washington , d . c ., 1985 . the compounds tested are as follows and the results of the testing appear in the following table . in therapeutic use as antifungal agents , the compounds are administered to the patient , preferably by oral administration , at dosage levels of from 40 mg to 600 mg per day . for a normal human adult of approximately 70 kg body weight , this translates into a dosage of about 0 . 5 mg / kg to about 8 . 0 mg / kg of body weight per day . the dosages may , however , be varied depending upon the condition and prior medical history of the patient , the severity of the condition being treated , and the activity of the compound employed in the pharmaceutical composition . determination of the optimal dose in a particular case is within the skill of the art . the daily dose may be administered once daily to the subject , or may be divided and administered in several separate doses in a single twenty - four hour period , for convenience . table______________________________________antifungal activity mic ( μg / ml ) at 24 hoursmicroorganism for compound ( strain ) amp - b * keto ** 1 2 3______________________________________candida albicansb4b 4 . 25 16 16 32m752 8 . 25 32 32 64atcc 10231 4 & gt ;. 5 16 16 321570 8 . 25 16 32 641571 2 . 125 32 64 641574 4 . 25 16 32 641575 8 . 5 32 32 641576 4 & gt ;. 5 15 32 641577 8 . 125 16 32 321578 8 . 25 16 32 641579 4 . 5 16 32 64candida tropicansatcc 13803 8 . 5 64 64 1281573 4 & gt ;. 5 16 16 32torulopsis glabrata1581 8 & gt ;. 5 128 128 128cryptococcus neoformans1678 4 & gt ;. 5 128 64 128______________________________________ * amphotericin - b ** ketoconazole for preparing pharmaceutical compositions from the compounds of this invention , inert , pharmaceutically acceptable carriers can be either solid or liquid . solid form preparations include powders , tablets , dispersible granules , capsules , cachets , and suppositories . a solid carrier can be one or more substances which may also act as diluents , flavoring agents , solubilizers , lubricants , suspending agents , binders , or tablet disintegrating agents . it can also be an encapsulating material . in powders , the carrier is a finely divided solid which is in a mixture with the finely divided active component . in tablets , the active compound is mixed with the carrier having the necessary binding properties in suitable proportions and compacted in the shape and size desired . for preparing suppository preparations , a low - melting wax such as a mixture of fatty - acid glycerides and cocoa butter is melted , and the active ingredient is dispersed homogeneously therein , as by stirring . the moltent homogeneous mixture is then poured into conveniently sized molds and allowed to cool and solidify . powders and tablets preferably contain about 5 % to about 70 % of the active ingredient . examples of suitable solid carriers are magnesium stearate , magnesium carbonate , talc , sugar , lactose , pectin , dextrin , starch , tragacanth , methyl cellulose , sodium carboxymethyl cellulose , and the like . the term &# 34 ; preparation &# 34 ; is intended to include the formulation of the active compound with encapsulating material as carrier providing a capsule in which the active component ( with or without other carriers ) is surrounded by carrier . similarly , cachets are included . tablets , powders , cachets , and capsules can be used as solid dosage forms suitable for oral administration . liquid form preparations include solutions , emulsions , and suspensions . liquid preparations can be formulated in aqueous solution or in aqueous / alcohol solution with such materials as polyethylene glycol . such solutions are prepared by dissolving the active component in water or aqueous / alcohol solution and adding suitable colorants , flavoring agents , stabilizers , and thickening agents as desired . aqueous suspensions for oral use can be made by dispersing the finely divided active compound in water with viscous material , i . e ., natural or synthetic gums , resins , methyl cellulose , sodium carboxymethyl cellulose , and other well - known suspending agents . preferably , the pharmaceutical preparation is in unit dosage form . in such form , the preparation is subdivided into using doses containing appropriate quantities of the active component . the unit dosage form can be a packaged preparation , the package containing discrete quantities of preparation , for example packeted tablets , capsules , or powders in vials or ampoules . the unit dosage form can also be a capsule , cachet , or tablet itself or can be the appropriate number of any of these packaged forms .
a method of treating fungal infections comprises administering an antifungally effective amount of a trans - 6 - alkyl ]- 4 - hydroxypyran - 2 - one compound or a β , δ - hydroxyheptanoic acid corresponding thereto .