A recent Heliyon journal study discusses the role of fungal endophytes in the development of novel anti-cancer agents, particularly aimed at breast cancer therapy. Study: Endophytic fungi: A future prospect for breast cancer therapeutics and drug development. Image Credit: Rattiya Thongdumhyu / Shutterstock.
com In low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), the scarcity of resources and limited infrastructure significantly affect the provision of quick and effective cancer treatment, resulting in lower survival rates than advanced economies. In LMICs, targeted drugs such as cyclin-dependent kinase 4 (CDK4)/6 and anti-human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) therapy are recurrently inaccessible. Chemotherapy is a standard treatment option for cancer that is associated with several side effects.
Short-term side effects of chemotherapy may include alopecia, muscle pain, fatigue, and neurocognitive dysfunction, whereas long-term effects may include infertility, psychosocial impacts, early menopause, secondary cancers, and cardiomyopathy. Endophytic fungi have been synthesized for drugs such as vincristine, camptothecin, taxol, and podophyllotoxin. These fungi also produce unique secondary metabolites with novel structures.
The most frequently identified endophytic fungal species are Fusarium, Chaetomium, Pestalotiopsis, Penicillium, and Aspergillus. Some chemical groups that can be used to classify endophytic fungal metabolites are steroids, terpenoids, alkaloids, quinones, .