The focus of this review is placed on the chemical structures from the species of the genus Talaromyces reported with reference to their biological activities. 221 secondary metabolites, including 43 alkaloids and peptides, 88 esters, 31 polyketides, 19 quinones, 15 steroid and terpenoids, and 25 other structure type compounds, have been included, and 66 references are cited.Graphical Abstract

The fungus Clonostachys rosea is widely distributed all over the world. The destructive force of this fungus, as a biological control agent, is very strong to lots of plant pathogenic fungi. As part of the ongoing search for antibiotics from fungi obtained from soil samples, the secondary metabolites of C. rosea YRS-06 were investigated. Through efficient bioassay-guided isolation, three new bisorbicillinoids possessing open-ended cage structures, tetrahydrotrichodimer ether (1) and dihydrotrichodimer ether A and B (2 and 3), and 12 known compounds were obtained. Their structures were determined via extensive NMR, HR-ESI-MS, and CD spectroscopic analyses and X-ray diffraction data. Compounds 1-3 are rare bisorbicillinoids with a γ-pyrone moiety. The biological properties of 1-15 were evaluated against six different Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. Bisorbicillinoids, 2-5, and TMC-151 C and E, 14 and 15, showed potent antibacterial activity.

The green Chinese onion (Allium fistulosum L.), which is widely cultivated and has been naturalized in many places, is an important spice and vegetable in East and Southeast Asia. It is used to treat the common cold in China. In the ongoing search for antibacterial activity in fungi derived from natural, pungently scented vegetables, the secondary metabolites of Talaromyces pinophilus AF-02, which was isolated from the stem of the green Chinese onion, were investigated. The genus Talaromyces (Trichocomaceae) is an important fungal genus because of its ubiquity and the role of many of its species in food and agriculture production. Three new phthalide derivatives, talaromycolides A-C, 1-3; a new long-chain dicarboxylic acid, 11; and 12 known compounds were isolated from methanolic extracts of this fungus. Their structures were determined via extensive NMR, HR-ESI-MS, and CD spectroscopic analyses. Compounds 1-3 are rare phthalide derivatives with a novel linkage position between the phenyl and phthalide moieties. The biological properties of 1-16 were evaluated using six different bacteria, and 1-3, 5, and 11 exhibited significant antibacterial activity in response to some of the tested strains.

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