Fungal Species: Monascus ruber

Fungi: Pioneers of chemical creativity – Techniques and strategies to uncover fungal chemistry

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This review explores how fungi produce remarkable chemical compounds that have been transformed into important medicines for over a century. Starting with penicillin in the 1940s, scientists have discovered dozens of fungal-derived drugs used to treat infections, prevent organ rejection, lower cholesterol, and fight cancer. Modern technology now allows researchers to discover and analyze these compounds much faster and with smaller samples than ever before.

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Fungal Drug Discovery for Chronic Disease: History, New Discoveries and New Approaches

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This article examines how fungi have provided humanity with some of the most important medicines ever created, including penicillin, drugs that prevent organ rejection, and cholesterol-lowering statins. Many of these fungal compounds work as medicines because they target processes that are similar in both fungi and humans, helping them survive competition with other fungi while coincidentally treating human diseases. New researchers are now using modern genetic tools to discover additional fungal medicines, with several promising candidates currently being tested in clinical trials for cancer, depression, and other chronic diseases.

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Pigment Formation by Monascus pilosus DBM 4361 in Submerged Liquid Culture

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Scientists studied how to produce natural yellow, orange, and red pigments from the fungus Monascus pilosus in liquid culture. They found that the type of sugar and nitrogen used in the fermentation significantly affects pigment production. Interestingly, glucose actually reduces pigment formation through a process called carbon catabolite repression. M. pilosus offers a safer alternative to other Monascus species because it does not produce the harmful toxin citrinin, making it suitable for use in food products.

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From mold to mycotoxins: an LC–MS/MS method for quantifying airborne mycotoxins in indoor environments

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Mold in water-damaged buildings produces toxic compounds called mycotoxins that can become airborne and be breathed in. This study developed a precise laboratory method to detect and measure 29 different mycotoxins in indoor air samples. Researchers tested the method in three real mold-infested buildings and successfully identified seven different mycotoxins, proving the method works well even when toxin levels are very low. This breakthrough helps determine whether moldy indoor environments pose serious health risks to workers and occupants.

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