The fungus Colletotrichum as a source for bioactive secondary metabolites.

Colletotrichum sp. is a widely distributed fungal genus, which is mainly known to cause anthracnose on cereals, legumes, fruit trees, and vegetables. Even though many of the Colletotrichum sp. are plant pathogens, a variety of secondary metabolites with diverse bioactivities have been reported to be produced by this fungus. At least 109 secondary metabolites from the fungus Colletotrichum have been reported to date. They mostly include nitrogen-containing metabolites, sterols, terpenes, pyrones, phenolics, and fatty acids. Herein, the authors review the structurally interesting secondary metabolites produced by Colletotrichum and their biological activities.