Secondary Metabolites in Fungi

Abstract

Fungi are a biological family that includes multicellular and unicellular eukaryotic organisms in general. They are quite numerous and diverse. It is the second largest group of organisms on Earth after insects. Higher fungi (terrestrial fungi) currently constitute a large and efficiently untapped resource of new pharmacological crops with nutritional values are potentially powerful. Antioxidants prevent cellular damage caused by free radicals in living beings. It has been found that 36% of endophytic mushroom extracts with a high phenolic content show strong antioxidant effects. In one study, they reported that the antioxidant activities of the strains Aspergillus sp., A. niger, A. peyronelii and Chaetomium sp. ranged from 50% to 80% and that this antioxidant activity was due to their high phenolic content. In addition to the antioxidant properties of fungi, it has been shown as a result of research that they show antibacterial activity. Macrofungal β-glucans (β-1,6 glycosidic bonds and mainly β-1,3), which are known to have immunomodulatory and antitumor effects in cancer prevention, can be used in treatment strategies. At the same time, it has been shown in studies that these metabolites obtained from fungi cause fewer side effects when used in treatments, unlike chemical drugs. As a result of phytochemical research, the presence of flavonoids, anthraquinones, steroids, terpenoids, coumarins, phenols and tannins in fungal extracts in general was detected, while alkaloids and saponins were not found. It has been determined that the studies on mushrooms have gained versatile uses since they reveal secondary metabolite components with different biological activities in the structure of these group members.