ABSTRACT
Fungi are by far one of the most important sources for biologically active substances, and a number of drugs derived from fungal secondary metabolites and their modified analogs have been developed. Among a wide variety of fungi, the Clavicipitaceae are one of the frequently explored families of Pyrenomycetes. Among the most important discoveries of bioactive secondary metabolites from fungi may be the isolation of the β-lactam antibiotic, cephalosporin C, from Cephalosporium Acremonium in 1948 (Sec. 7). Cyclosporin A, originally found from Tolypocladium polysporum in 1976, and its analogs, are now commonly used as immunosuppressants (Sec. 6.1). Much earlier, a series of alkaloids produced by the plant pathogenic species Claviceps purpurea (“ergot”) were recognized to cause serious toxic effects to animals (including humans) that ingested infected material. This condition is commonly referred to as ergotism and has been reported in the literature since medieval times. This fungus and its metabolites have been thoroughly explored (Sec. 10.1). On the other hand, an insect-host specific fungus, Cordyceps sinensis (Dong-Zhong-Chang-Cao), has long been used as a traditional medicine in China (Sec. 12). Important secondary metabolites isolated originally from Clavicipitalean fungi are reviewed in this chapter. Due to the frequent intergeneric overlapping of compound groups, this chapter is organized by chemical types rather than fungal genera.
