Drug discovery from fungal metabolites: a review of the papers in this monographical issue of Mycosystema concerned with the natural resources, problems and strategies
真菌代谢产物的药物发现——资源、问题和策略

This monographical issue of Mycosystema contains 7 in-depth reviews, 19 research articles and 2 short communications on the latest and most important progress in the resources, problems and strategies for drug discovery from fungal metabolites. It covers the current progress and latest achievements on production of taxol by entophytic fungi, strategies and latest developments on culturing cordycepin-producing fungi, regulation strategies on biosynthesis of triterpenoids and extracellular polysaccharides produced by Ganoderma lucidum, current progress on bioactive metabolites from the fungi grown in fresh and sea water. This issue of Mycosystema also involves the isolation and identification of entophytic fungi, isolation of metabolites from sea-grown fungi, the culture for macro-fungi and isolation and bioassay of their metabolites, and research of methodology on determining polyphenols, proteomics and biotransformation. These reviews and research articles represent the most updated progress in drug discovery from fungal metabolites in China, and provide insights into up-regulation of bioactive fungal metabolites, isolation and structure identification of these metabolites as well as their pharmacological studies.