Anticancer Metabolites from Endophytic Fungi
Summary
Endophytic fungi inhabit plant tissues symbiotically, often producing a diverse array of bioactive secondary metabolites with anticancer potential. These compounds span multiple structural classes—including macrolides, polyketides, alkaloids and terpenoids—and exhibit cytotoxic effects against a variety of cancer cell lines. Mechanisms of action include interference with cell cycle progression, induction of programmed cell death and disruption of intracellular trafficking pathways. Advances in fermentation optimisation, genome mining and bioassay-guided fractionation have accelerated the discovery of novel fungal metabolites. Semi-synthetic modification and structure–activity relationship studies have further improved the selectivity and pharmacokinetic properties of lead compounds. Collectively, endophytic fungi represent a sustainable and versatile resource for next-generation anticancer drug development, with the potential to address treatment resistance and reduce systemic toxicity.
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Anticancer Metabolites from Endophytic Fungi publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in anticancer metabolites from endophytic fungi across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Endophytic fungi: Fungi that colonise internal plant tissues without causing disease.
Secondary metabolites: Small organic molecules not directly involved in primary growth or reproduction, often with bioactive properties.
Brefeldin A: A fungal macrolactone that disrupts Golgi apparatus function by inhibiting ARF guanine-nucleotide exchange factors.
Apoptosis: Programmed cell death characterised by membrane blebbing, chromatin condensation and formation of apoptotic bodies.
IC50: The concentration of a compound required to inhibit a biological process by 50% under defined conditions.
Arf-GEF: Guanine-nucleotide exchange factors for ADP-ribosylation factors, essential for vesicle formation and intracellular trafficking.
References
- Design and Synthesis of Brefeldin A-Isothiocyanate Derivatives with Selectivity and Their Potential for Cervical Cancer Therapy. Molecules (2023).
- Integrating Activity-Guided Strategy and Fingerprint Analysis to Target Potent Cytotoxic Brefeldin A from a Fungal Library of the Medicinal Mangrove Acanthus ilicifolius. Marine Drugs (2022).
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