The chemistry and biology of fungal meroterpenoids (2009–2019)?

Organic & Biomolecular Chemistry Pub Date: 2020-12-09 DOI: 10.1039/D0OB02162H

Abstract

Fungal meroterpenoids are secondary metabolites from mixed terpene-biosynthetic origins. Their intriguing chemical structural diversification and complexity, potential bioactivities, and pharmacological significance make them attractive targets in natural product chemistry, organic synthesis, and biosynthesis. This review provides a systematic overview of the isolation, chemical structural features, biological activities, and fungal biodiversity of 1585 novel meroterpenoids from 79 genera terrestrial and marine-derived fungi including macrofungi, Basidiomycetes, in 441 research papers in 2009–2019. Based on the nonterpenoid starting moiety in their biosynthesis pathway, meroterpenoids were classified into four categories (polyketide–terpenoid, indole-, shikimate-, and miscellaneous-) with polyketide–terpenoids (mainly tetraketide-) and shikimate–terpenoids as the primary source. Basidiomycota produced 37.5% of meroterpenoids, mostly shikimate–terpenoids. The genera of Ganoderma, Penicillium, Aspergillus, and Stachybotrys are the four dominant producers. Moreover, about 56% of meroterpenoids display various pronounced bioactivities, including cytotoxicity, enzyme inhibition, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, antiviral, antifungal activities. It's exciting that several meroterpenoids including antroquinonol and 4-acetyl antroquinonol B were developed into phase II clinically used drugs. We assume that the chemical diversity and therapeutic potential of these fungal meroterpenoids will provide biologists and medicinal chemists with a large promising sustainable treasure-trove for drug discovery.

Graphical abstract: The chemistry and biology of fungal meroterpenoids (2009–2019)
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