Secondary Metabolites Diversity of Aspergillus unguis and Their Bioactivities: A Potential Target to Be Explored

Abstract

Aspergillus unguis belongs to the Aspergillus section Nidulantes. This species is found in soils and organisms from marine environments, such as jellyfishes and sponges. The first chemical study reported in the literature dates from 1970, with depsidones nidulin (1), nornidulin (2), and unguinol (3) being the first isolated compounds. Fifty-two years since this first study, the isolation and characterization of ninety-seven (97) compounds have been reported. These compounds are from different classes, such as depsides, depsidones, phthalides, cyclopeptides, indanones, diarylethers, pyrones, benzoic acid derivatives, orcinol/orsenillate derivatives, and sesterpenoids. In terms of biological activities, the first studies on isolated compounds from A. unguis came only in the 1990s. Considering the tendency for antiparasitic and antibiotics to become ineffective against resistant microorganisms and larvae, A. unguis compounds have also been extensively investigated and some compounds are considered very promising. In addition to these larvicidal and antimicrobial activities, these compounds also show activity against cancer cell lines, animal growth promotion, antimalarial and antioxidant activities. Despite the diversity of these compounds and reported biological activities, A. unguis remains an interesting target for studies on metabolic induction to produce new compounds, the determination of new biological activities, medicinal chemistry, structural modification, biotechnological approaches, and molecular modeling, which have yet to be extensively explored.

Secondary metabolites and transcriptomic analysis of novel pulcherrimin producer Metschnikowia persimmonesis KIOM G15050: A potent and safe food biocontrol agent

“…This novel endophytic yeast has been isolated, characterized, and tested for its potential as an antimicrobial and antifungal agent against notable pathogens [ 1 ]. Fungal communities are the predominant endophytes associated with plant host tissues and have attracted considerable interest in various research areas [ 2 ]. Endophytic fungi are a rich source of various secondary metabolites including alkaloids, terpenoids, phenolics, non-ribosomal peptides, and polyketides, which are not necessary for their growth but are essential for protection, adaptation, and other survival actions [ 2 , 3 ].…”

“…Fungal communities are the predominant endophytes associated with plant host tissues and have attracted considerable interest in various research areas [ 2 ]. Endophytic fungi are a rich source of various secondary metabolites including alkaloids, terpenoids, phenolics, non-ribosomal peptides, and polyketides, which are not necessary for their growth but are essential for protection, adaptation, and other survival actions [ 2 , 3 ]. Since immemorial times, fungi have employed these compounds as signals for chemical interactions, habitat protection, or competitor inhibition, resulting in natural product evolution, and consequently benefiting the ecological gain of fungi in colonizing various habitats on Earth [ 4 ].…”

Fungal Depsidones Stimulate AKT-Dependent Glucose Uptake in 3T3-L1 Adipocytes

“…In fungal biosynthesis, depsidones are synthesized from depsides by an oxidative coupling reaction. A number of depsidones with different biological activities have been documented . Depsidones have not been reported for their function in cellular glucose uptake.…”

“…A number of depsidones with different biological activities have been documented. 9 Depsidones have not been reported for their function in cellular glucose uptake. Garciniadepsidone A is a plant depsidone previously evaluated for glucose uptake activity, but the compound failed to show such activity.…”