Secondary Metabolites of Bird’s Nest Fungi: Chemical Structures and Biological Activities

Abstract

Bird's nest fungi, a general term for species in the family Nidulariaceae, are named for their fruiting bodies that resemble bird's nests. Two of their members, Cyathus stercoreus (Schw.) de Toni. and Cyathus striatus Will. ex Pers., are known as medicinal fungi in Chinese medicine. Bird's nest fungi produce a variety of secondary metabolites that provide natural materials for screening and developing medicinal compounds. This review presents a systematic summary of the literature on the secondary metabolites of bird's nest fungi up to January 2023, including 185 compounds, mainly cyathane diterpenoids, with prominently characterized antimicrobial and antineurodegenerative activities. Our work aims to advance our understanding of bird's nest fungi and support studies on their natural product chemistry, pharmacology, and biosynthesis of secondary metabolites.

Natural and engineered xylosyl products from microbial source

“…The hydroxyl group of xyloses then undergoes further fusion with the cyathane diterpene scaffold, resulting in the formation of highly oxidized polycyclic complex compounds. Naturally occurring xyloside cyathane diterpenoids are commonly found in the metabolites of the genus Cyathus [ 12 ], Hericium [ 21 – 23 ], and two specific mushrooms, Laxitextum incrustatum [ 24 ] and Dentipellis fragilis [ 25 ].…”

“…However, microbial-derived xylosyl natural products have unique chemical structures and exhibit good biological activities. For example, triterpene xylosides have anti-inflammatory activity [ 11 ] and cyathane diterpene xylosides have anti-neurodegenerative activity [ 12 ]. Although their presence is scattered, it is important to recognize their importance and summarise their properties.…”

Unprecedented Neoverrucosane and Cyathane Diterpenoids with Anti-Neuroinflammatory Activity from Cultures of the Culinary-Medicinal Mushroom Hericium erinaceus

“…Erinacines are cyathane diterpenes with a unique 5,6,7tricyclic skeleton, named Erinacines A through Z2 [9]. Besides Hericium spp., cyathane diterpenes occur in Cyathus [10][11][12], Sarcodon [8], and other mushrooms [13][14][15][16]. Nearly 120 have been isolated from the Nidulariaceae family of basidiomycetes [10].…”

“…Besides Hericium spp., cyathane diterpenes occur in Cyathus [10][11][12], Sarcodon [8], and other mushrooms [13][14][15][16]. Nearly 120 have been isolated from the Nidulariaceae family of basidiomycetes [10].…”

The First Five Mitochondrial Genomes for the Family Nidulariaceae Reveal Novel Gene Rearrangements, Intron Dynamics, and Phylogeny of Agaricales

“…However, the mitogenomes of these mushrooms remain relatively understudied. Among the well-known medicinal mushrooms in Chinese medicine, Cyathus species have garnered much attention in recent years for the production of cyathane diterpenoids with significant neurotrophic and neuroprotective activities [ 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 ]. The family Nidulariaceae , commonly known as “bird’s nest fungi”, is a distinctive and fascinating group of fungi in the fungal kingdom [ 30 ], comprising five genera: Cyathus , Crucibulum , Mycocalia , Nidularia , and Nidula ( Figure 1 ).…”