Recent Advances in Fungal Secondary Metabolites and Their Applications

Abstract

Secondary metabolites (SMs) are formed during secondary metabolism in fungi and other organisms and provide a wide variety of applications in various fields. Despite much research done on the veracious utilization of SMs, their precise applications are still not clear. The idea of extracting and harvesting biologically active compounds from fungi has become quite fascinating among biotechnologists. These biological compounds are used in fields like agriculture, health, medication, and industries. SMs are categorized as polyketides, terpenoids, nonribosomal peptides, nuclear-encoded ribosomal peptides, and molecules of mixed biogenic origin arising from hybrid pathways. Plant-fungi secondary metabolites are also quite common and have been exploited for the commercial production of various compounds. In the pathogenic relationship of plant and fungi, the plant acts as a host and is related to the production of fungal secondary metabolites. This chapter gives an overview of different fungal secondary metabolites and their application in different sectors, along with plant-fungi secondary metabolite interaction. A brief description of the antifungal activity of plant secondary metabolites (PSMs) and the role of phytopathogen and endophytes in secondary metabolite production have also been discussed. The light is also shed on the mechanism of the action of secondary metabolites and genomics involved in regulating different secondary metabolites.