Stachybotrys chartarum—A Hidden Treasure: Secondary Metabolites, Bioactivities, and Biotechnological Relevance

Abstract

Fungi are renowned as a fountainhead of bio-metabolites that could be employed for producing novel therapeutic agents, as well as enzymes with wide biotechnological and industrial applications. Stachybotrys chartarum (black mold) (Stachybotriaceae) is a toxigenic fungus that is commonly found in damp environments. This fungus has the capacity to produce various classes of bio-metabolites with unrivaled structural features, including cyclosporins, cochlioquinones, atranones, trichothecenes, dolabellanes, phenylspirodrimanes, xanthones, and isoindoline and chromene derivatives. Moreover, it is a source of various enzymes that could have variable biotechnological and industrial relevance. The current review highlights the formerly published data on S. chartarum, including its metabolites and their bioactivities, as well as industrial and biotechnological relevance dated from 1973 to the beginning of 2022. In this work, 215 metabolites have been listed and 138 references have been cited.

Aspergillus ochraceus: Metabolites, Bioactivities, Biosynthesis, and Biotechnological Potential

“…Lignocellulosic biomass is one of the alternative energy sources to fossil fuel that is composed of hemicelluloses, cellulose, and lignin [ 4 , 5 , 43 , 44 ]. Cellulases are the principal catalytic enzymes for lignocellulosic biomass hydrolysis, involving β-D-glucosidase, cellobiohydrolase, and endoglucanase, that synergistically hydrolyze cellulose into glucose [ 4 , 5 , 43 , 44 ]. They are applicable in the fermentation industry, which needs stability under extreme bioprocessing conditions and high yield.…”

“…Xylan is a major component of the plant cell wall. It consists of 1,4-connected β-D-xylopyranose residues [ 4 , 5 , 43 , 44 ]. Xylanases facilitate xylan hydrolysis, primarily utilized in the kraft operation for removing the generated LCC (lignin–carbohydrate complex), which is a physical barrier towards bleaching chemicals entry [ 45 ].…”

“…Fungi have a prolonged and close relationship with human beings, especially at the chemical level. Particularly, they have drawn great interest for their capacity to biosynthesize a variety of structurally unique metabolites that possess promising bioactivities [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 ]. Additionally, the current advances in genetics, synthetic biology, natural product chemistry, and bioinformatics have considerably reinforced the capability to mine their genomes for discovering novel drugs [ 6 ].…”

Docking and Molecular Dynamic Investigations of Phenylspirodrimanes as Cannabinoid Receptor-2 Agonists

“…Phenylspirodrimanes are one of the most dominant Stachybotrys genus metabolites that possess various structural scaffolds [25]. They are unusual meroterpenoids (terpenylphenol) that are distinguished by incorporation through a spiro-furan ring among spirocyclic drimane and phenyl moiety.…”

“…In addition, their dimers are produced from two monomers through C-N or C-C linkage [26]. These metabolites demonstrate various biological potentials, including antiviral, cytotoxic, anti-inflammatory, tyrosine kinase modulatory, and neuroprotective capacities [25]. In our continual goal to explore bioactivities and shed light on these interesting fungal metabolites, 114 phenylspirodrimane derivatives reported from Stachybotrys chartarum have been investigated for their effects on ECS.…”