science

Medicinal uses of fungi

Medicinal uses of fungi is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Medicinal uses of fungi rather than just read about it. In short: Medicinal fungi are fungi that contain metabolites or can be induced to produce metabolites through biotechnology to develop prescription drugs. Compounds successfully developed into drugs or under research include those treating infection with amoeba, bacteria, fungus, virus, inhibitors of cholesterol and ergosterol synthesis, and psychotropics.

Key takeaways

Medicinal uses of fungi belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Medicinal uses of fungi to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Medicinal uses of fungi from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Medicinal fungi are fungi that contain metabolites or can be induced to produce metabolites through biotechnology to develop prescription drugs. Compounds successfully developed into drugs or under research include those treating infection with amoeba, bacteria, fungus, virus, inhibitors of cholesterol and ergosterol synthesis, and psychotropics. Some species are included in traditional medicine, but lack evidence as to any health benefit. Similarly, mushroom dietary supplements, commonly made from powdered or extracted fruit bodies or mycelium, are marketed for various health benefits but lack sufficient scientific evidence for their safety or effectiveness, and their quality can vary due to inconsistent processing and labeling.

History

In Ancient Egypt moldy bread was applied to wound infection. Inonotus obliquus was used in folk medicine tumor treatment in Russia and Northern Europe during the 16th century. Hallucinogenic mushrooms include Amanita muscaria, the fly agaric and "magic mushrooms", which contain psilocybin and psilocin. The ability to identify beneficial properties and then extract the active ingredient from mold started with the discovery of penicillin from Penicillium rubens by Alexander Fleming, September 1928. Scientific investigation into pharmacological applications of mushrooms began during the 1960s.

Nutritional supplements

Mushroom dietary supplements, commonly made from powdered or extracted fruiting bodies or mycelium, are marketed for various health benefits but lack sufficient scientific evidence for safety or effectiveness, and quality can vary due to inconsistent processing and labeling. Lysine is produced from Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Riboflavin is produced from Candida famata and Ashbya gossypii. Pichia fermentans is a source of astaxanthin, β-carotene, and lutein. Fungi are a source of ergosterol which can be converted to vitamin D2 upon exposure to ultraviolet light.

Drug development

Amebicides

Fumagillin was isolated in 1949 from Aspergillus fumigatus. Transgenic yeasts are used to produce artemisinin.

Antibacterial agents (antibiotics)

Pleuromutilin was discovered as an antibiotic in 1951. It is derived from Omphalina mutila (formerly Pleurotus mutilus) and Clitopilus passeckerianus (formerly Pleurotus passeckerianus). Cephalosporins were first sold in 1964, the mold which yielded cephalosporin C was first discovered by Giuseppe Brotzu in July 1945. Citromycin from Penicillium was discovered in 1969. Oudemansin A from Oudemansiella mucida was first described in 1979. Plectasin from Pseudoplectania nigrella was discovered in 2005.

Cancer As of 2022, there is not enough scientific evidence to indicate that any mushroom or mushroom extract is effective for reducing the risk of cancer.

Cholesterol biosynthesis inhibitors

Statins are an important class of cholesterol-lowering drugs; the first generation of statins were derived from fungi. Lovastatin, the first commercial statin, was extracted from a fermentation broth of Aspergillus terreus. Industrial production is now capable of producing 70 mg lovastatin per kilogram of substrate.

Diabetes Transgenic yeasts are used to produce insulin analogs. Moniliella pollinis is used industrially to produce erythritol.

Antifungals

Griseofulvin is derived from a number of Penicillium species; caspofungin is derived from Glarea lozoyensis.

Psychotropic effects The history of bread-making records deadly ergotism caused by ergot, most commonly Claviceps purpurea, a parasite of cereal crops. Psychoactive ergot alkaloid drugs have subsequently been extracted from or synthesised starting from ergot; these include ergotamine, dihydroergotamine, ergometrine, ergocristine, ergocryptine, ergocornine, methysergide, bromocriptine, cabergoline, and pergolide.

Antivirals

Brefeldin A was first isolated from Penicillium decumbens in 1958 at Purdue University.

See also List of unproven and disproven cancer treatments: Plant and fungus Psilocybin decriminalization in the United States Psilocybin therapy

References

Notes

External links Memorial Sloan-Kettering Agaricus subrufescens, Phellinus linteus, Ganoderma lucidum, Trametes versicolor and PSK, Grifola frondosa, Inonotus obliquus, Pleurotus ostreatus, Cordyceps, Shiitake, Lentinan, AHCC. American Cancer Society Trametes versicolor and PSK, Grifola frondosa Archived 2010-03-31 at the Wayback Machine, Shiitake Archived 2009-06-14 at the Wayback Machine. National Cancer Institute Shiitake, Lentinan, Cordycepin Broadbent, Douglas (July 1966). "Antibiotics Produced by Fungi". The Botanical Review. 32 (3): 219–242. Bibcode:1966BotRv..32..219B. doi:10.1007/BF02858660. JSTOR 4353729. S2CID 23442996.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Medicinal uses of fungi

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Medicinal uses of fungi claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Medicinal uses of fungi before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Medicinal uses of fungi ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Medicinal uses of fungi

In research: Medicinal uses of fungi appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Medicinal uses of fungi in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Medicinal uses of fungi is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Antibiotics, Antifungals, Antiparasitic agents, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Medicinal uses of fungi outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

Ask Teacher Smith questions about this articleOpens your AI tutor with a question about “Medicinal uses of fungi” →

Affiliate

Preply — study more efficiently by working with a personal tutor. 50% off.

How to study Medicinal uses of fungi in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Medicinal uses of fungi means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Medicinal uses of fungi out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Medicinal uses of fungi in simple terms?

Why does Medicinal uses of fungi matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Medicinal uses of fungi?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Medicinal uses of fungi.