Highly oxygenated isoprenoid lipids derived from fungi and fungal endophytes: Origin and biological activities.

This mini review is devoted to highly oxygenated isoprenoid lipids (HOIL) that are produced by fungi and fungal endophytes from various ecological niches, both terrestrial and aquatic. Steroids were distributed as from edible cultivated fungi, as well as fungi collected in forests. Fungal endophytes were generally isolated from plants and cultured to obtain sufficient biomass. Marine fungi were obtained from marine brown and red algae and marine invertebrates such as sponges, corals, worms, crustacea or from marine sediments. HOIL isolated from the terrestrial ecosystem have the pharmacological potential on anti-hypercholesterolemic, anti-neoplastic, anti-eczematic and anti-inflammatory activity estimated with a confidence of 84-90%. HOIL that produced by marine fungal species are predicted as having anti-inflammatory and anti-hypercholesterolemic activity with a confidence of 82-91%. In addition, they may have potential acetylcholinesterase and cell adhesion molecule inhibitors estimated with a confidence of 86-88%.