Fungal-derived compounds and mycogenic nanoparticles with antimycobacterial activity: a review

Tuberculosis (TB) is a persistent lung infection caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis . The disease is characterized by high mortality rates of over 1 million per year. Unfortunately, the potency and effectiveness of currently used anti-TB drugs is gradually decreasing due to the constant development of persistence and resistance by M. tuberculosis . The adverse side effects associated with current anti-TB drugs, along with anti-TB drug resistance, present an opportunity to bio-prospect novel potent anti-TB drugs from unique sources. Fundamentally, fungi are a rich source of bioactive secondary metabolites with valuable therapeutic potential. Enhancing the potency and effectiveness of fungal-based anti-TB drug leads by chemical synthesis and/or modification with nanomaterials, may result in the discovery of novel anti-TB drugs. In this review, the antimycobacterial activity of fungal-derived compounds and mycogenic nanoparticles are summarized. Numerous fungal-derived compounds as well as some mycogenic nanoparticles that exhibit strong antimycobacterial activity that is comparable to that of approved drugs, were found. If fully explored, fungi holds the promise to become key drivers in the generation of lead compounds in TB-drug discovery initiatives.