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The potential of fungi in the bioremediation of pharmaceutically active compounds: a comprehensive review

Summary

Pharmaceutical drugs that we take end up in our water systems because our bodies don’t fully process them. Fungi, especially types of mushrooms, have powerful enzymes that can break down these drug residues and clean contaminated water. Scientists are studying how to use these fungi in treatment systems to remove medications from hospital wastewater and drinking water sources.

Background

Pharmaceutically active compounds (PhACs) are emerging pollutants that persist in wastewater, surface water, and groundwater due to incomplete metabolism and resistance to conventional treatment. Fungal species possess diverse enzymatic systems capable of degrading complex pharmaceutical compounds through various biochemical pathways.

Objective

This review comprehensively examines the potential of fungal species in bioremediation of pharmaceutically active compounds, highlighting specific fungal species with degradative capacity, their enzymatic arsenal, and proposed mechanisms of biodegradation for environmental remediation.

Results

Multiple fungal species including Trametes versicolor, Phanerochaete chrysosporium, and others demonstrated significant potential in degrading various PhACs through extracellular enzymes (laccases, peroxidases) and intracellular systems (cytochrome P450). Degradation mechanisms involve absorption, reactive oxygen species production, enzymatic transformation, and intracellular metabolism.

Conclusion

Fungal bioremediation represents a promising, environmentally sustainable alternative to conventional PhAC treatment methods. Integration with nanotechnology, protein engineering, and advanced bioreactor designs could enhance real-time applications for addressing pharmaceutical contamination in environmental systems.
  • Published in:Frontiers in Microbiology,
  • Study Type:Review,
  • Source: PMID: 37502403, PMCID: PMC10369004, doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1207792
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