Wild Mushrooms, a Source for Bioactive Compounds
Alexander Otto1, Andrea Porzel1, Jürgen Schmidt1, Ludger Wessjohann1, Bernhard Westermann1, Norbert Arnold1
1 Department Bioorganic Chemistry, Leibniz Institute of Plant Biochemistry, Weinberg 3, D-06120 Halle (Saale), Germany
Mushrooms (basidiocarps) are responsible for the production of sexual spores, which are the fundamental dispersal units of fungi. It is therefore not surprising that certain fungal species have evolved secondary metabolites to protect their fruiting bodies, e.g. against infections by widespread parasitic moulds, to ensure full development and distribution of their spores.
Field observations revealed that fruiting bodies of certain species of the genus Hygrophorus (Hygrophoraceae, Agaricales) are hardly ever attacked by mycophilic fungi. Consequently, several novel compound classes with pronounced biological activity were isolated from Hygrophorus spp. [1-3]. Compounds were examined for their antibacterial activity as well as against the human pathogenic fungus Malassezia pachydermatis (causing Malassezia Dermatitis) and the plant pathogenic fungi Botrytis cinerea (gray mold pathogen on many crops including strawberries and wine grapes) and Septoria tritici (causes septoria leaf blotch of wheat) as well as the oomycete Phytophthora infestans (causal agent of the late blight disease on potato and tomato) [2, 3]. Tested compounds exhibited pronounced activity against the pathogenes and may serve as lead structures for the development of novel fungicidal agents.
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