Mycotoxins and Fungal Secondary Metabolism

A special issue of Metabolites (ISSN 2218-1989). This special issue belongs to the section "Plant Metabolism".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 June 2026 | Viewed by 1878

Special Issue Editors

College of Biological and Chemical Engineering, Qilu Institute of Technology, Jinan 250200, China
Interests: mycotoxins; biocontrol; RNA interference; bioinformatics
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Guest Editor
School of Natural Sciences & Mathematics, Stockton University, Galloway, NJ 08205-9441, USA
Interests: bioinformatics; machine learning; molecular biology; mycotoxins

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Mycotoxins are toxic secondary metabolites produced by certain molds, capable of causing harm to vertebrates even at low concentrations. Diseases resulting from exposure to these substances are collectively referred to as mycotoxicosis. Dietary intake represents the most common route of exposure, occurring through the consumption of contaminated plant-based foods or animal products derived from livestock that have ingested contaminated feed. When toxigenic fungi infect crops and their toxic metabolites are ingested, they can provoke varied adverse health effects, depending on the specific mycotoxin involved. To effectively mitigate mycotoxin contamination, it is essential to control mycotoxigenic fungi at the source—namely, in crop plants. This requires a thorough understanding of the interactions between plants and these fungi, as well as the development of effective detoxification and control strategies within the plant system. We welcome the submission of full or brief research articles and reviews highlighting recent advances in areas including “omics”-technology for studying toxin gene clusters in mycotoxigenic fungi associated with plants or plant residues, endogenous plant detoxification mechanisms, and control strategies for mycotoxins.

Dr. Guohua Yin
Dr. Kayla K. Pennerman
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • mycotoxins
  • aflatoxin
  • patulin
  • biocontrol
  • metabolites
  • fungi

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

13 pages, 1116 KB  
Article
Two New Pentadepsipeptides from the Mangrove Fungus Aspergillus sp. SCSIO 41443
by Ying Liu, Yi Chen, Jiao Xiao, Xin Sun, Xuefeng Zhou, Yonghong Liu and Bin Yang
Metabolites 2026, 16(3), 159; https://doi.org/10.3390/metabo16030159 - 27 Feb 2026
Viewed by 570
Abstract
Background: Mangrove fungi are a prolific source of structurally diverse natural products. Among these, natural peptides with varied biological activities hold high commercial value and have been successfully developed into drugs for treating numerous diseases. Methods: Following rice solid-state fermentation of [...] Read more.
Background: Mangrove fungi are a prolific source of structurally diverse natural products. Among these, natural peptides with varied biological activities hold high commercial value and have been successfully developed into drugs for treating numerous diseases. Methods: Following rice solid-state fermentation of the strain, extracellular metabolites were extracted from the culture filtrate to obtain a crude extract. Cyclic depsipeptides were isolated from the crude extract by silica gel vacuum liquid chromatography for preliminary fractionation and enrichment, followed by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) purification. The structures of the compounds were determined based on extensive spectroscopic analysis (1D and 2D NMR, ESI-MS-MS analysis) and Marfey’s method for amino acid configuration assignment. Results: Ultimately, two new compounds, aspertides F (1) and G (2), and three known compounds, aspertides C, D, and A (35), were identified. The bioassays indicated that these compounds exhibited weak activity against acetylcholinesterase and neuraminidase. Conclusions: The research findings on this strain have not only enriched the metabolic resource library of mangrove fungi but also highlighted their diverse biological activities and significant application potential. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mycotoxins and Fungal Secondary Metabolism)
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16 pages, 24942 KB  
Article
Characterization of Volatile Organic Compounds Released by Penicillium expansum and Penicillium polonicum
by Guohua Yin, Kayla K. Pennerman, Wenpin Chen, Tao Wu and Joan W. Bennett
Metabolites 2026, 16(1), 37; https://doi.org/10.3390/metabo16010037 - 1 Jan 2026
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 923
Abstract
Background/Objectives: Fungi produce a diverse array of metabolites, including various volatile organic compounds (VOCs) with known physiological functions and other biological activities. These metabolites hold significant potential for medical and industrial applications. Within the fungal domain, Penicillium species represent a particularly important group. [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: Fungi produce a diverse array of metabolites, including various volatile organic compounds (VOCs) with known physiological functions and other biological activities. These metabolites hold significant potential for medical and industrial applications. Within the fungal domain, Penicillium species represent a particularly important group. Methods: This study characterized the VOC profiles of four Penicillium expansum strains (R11, R19, R21, and R27) and one Penicillium polonicum strain (RS1) using the solid-phase microextraction–gas chromatography–mass spectrometry technique. Results: The analysis revealed that the only compound in common among the five strains of Penicillium was phenyl ethanol. The high toxicity of P. polonicum RS1 to Drosophila larvae correlated with its diverse and abundant alkene production. Specifically, alkenes constituted 31.28% of its total VOCs, followed by alcohols at 29.13%. GC-MS analyses detected 22, 17, 22, and 18 specific VOCs from R11, R19, R21, and R27, respectively. Overall, alkenes dominated the R11 profile (17.03%), alcohols were most abundant in R19 (28.82%), and R21 showed the highest combined release of alcohols (23.2%) and alkenes (11.7%), while R27 produced a moderate abundance of alcohols (9.16%) and alkenes (4.19%). Among the P. expansum strains, R11, R21, and R27 exhibited substantially higher toxicity than R19 strain in our previous assessment; these findings are consistent with their respective VOC profiles. Conclusions: The distinct VOC compositions across Penicillium strains significantly influence their biological characteristics and ecological functions. These findings provide a basis for follow-up research into the mechanisms of fungal volatile-mediated toxicity and support the development of biocontrol strategies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mycotoxins and Fungal Secondary Metabolism)
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