Folia microbiologica最新文献

{"title":"Harnessing the power of abiotic inducers to enhance fungal secondary metabolite production: a review.","authors":"Norouz Bagoghli, Ali Eslami, Sajedeh Kashefifard, Narges Sadat Mirsafaee Rizi, Samin Raoufi, Sima Yari, Zahra Yazdanpanah, Fatemeh Zarei Ardestani","doi":"10.1007/s12223-026-01435-z","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s12223-026-01435-z","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Fungi and yeasts are prolific producers of structurally diverse secondary metabolites with extensive applications in pharmaceutical, food, agricultural, and industrial biotechnology. Conventional strategies to enhance metabolite production have largely relied on rational metabolic and genetic engineering; however, these approaches are often constrained by incomplete pathway knowledge, metabolic burden, regulatory complexity, and biosafety concerns associated with genetically engineered microorganisms. In recent years, the application of abiotic stresses has emerged as a powerful and complementary strategy to activate silent biosynthetic gene clusters and redirect metabolic fluxes without direct genetic manipulation. This review provides a comprehensive overview of abiotic stress-based approaches for enhancing secondary metabolite production in fungi and yeasts. We systematically examine the effects of major stress categories, including osmotic, oxidative, pH, solvent-induced, radiation, and heavy metal stresses, on microbial metabolism and secondary metabolite biosynthesis. Evidence from diverse fungal and yeast models demonstrates that controlled stress exposure can significantly increase the yield and diversity of metabolites such as pigments, carotenoids, antibiotics, statins, lipids, organic acids, osmolytes, and antioxidants. Importantly, this review highlights that stress responses are highly strain- and metabolite-specific, underscoring the need for tailored stress packages optimized for individual industrial strains or target compounds. We also discuss universally stress-responsive metabolites, such as proline and trehalose, which consistently accumulate under multiple stress conditions and represent promising leverage points for metabolic improvement. Overall, abiotic stress-induced metabolic engineering offers a cost-effective, flexible, and non-GMO strategy to enhance fungal and yeast metabolite production, with significant implications for industrial biotechnology and natural product discovery.</p>","PeriodicalId":12346,"journal":{"name":"Folia microbiologica","volume":" ","pages":"731-742"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2026-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146156717","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Stress-induced remodeling of yeast amino acid pools occurs within conserved physicochemical constraints.","authors":"Hajar Ebadi, Payam Setoodeh, Ali Niazi","doi":"10.1007/s12223-026-01566-3","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s12223-026-01566-3","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Industrial fermentation processes frequently expose yeast cells to environmental fluctuations, particularly temperature stress and oxygen-transfer limitation, which can profoundly alter cellular metabolism and fermentation performance. In this study, we quantified the free amino acid (FAA) pool and key fermentation metabolites in Saccharomyces cerevisiae ATCC 9763 under control conditions (30 °C), heat stress (37 °C), and oxygen-limited microaerobic conditions induced by a sterile paraffin overlay (n = 3 biological replicates per condition). Targeted LC-MS/MS analysis quantified 19 amino acids and four fermentation-related metabolites: ethanol, pyruvate, acetaldehyde, and glycerol. Metabolite set enrichment analysis (MSEA) was then used to identify pathway-level metabolic alterations. Heat stress caused broad depletion of FAA concentrations and enrichment of glutathione metabolism and nitrogen-associated pathways. In contrast, oxygen limitation increased the abundance of multiple amino acids and elevated ethanol, acetaldehyde, and glycerol levels. Pyruvate concentrations were highest under control conditions, lowest at 37 °C, and intermediate under oxygen limitation. Despite these condition-specific metabolic shifts, Pearson correlation analysis revealed highly conserved relationships between FAA abundance and 16 physicochemical descriptors across all conditions. FAA abundance showed strong positive correlations with molecular size-related properties, including molecular weight and surface area, and negative correlations with predicted aqueous solubility (ALogS), whereas charge-related descriptors contributed only weakly. Together, these findings suggest that stress-induced remodeling of yeast amino acid pools occurs within robust physicochemical constraints that preserve the overall architecture of intracellular metabolite composition. This framework provides quantitative insight into metabolic organization under stress and may support future strategies for strain engineering and industrial process optimization.</p>","PeriodicalId":12346,"journal":{"name":"Folia microbiologica","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2026-07-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148630048","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Exploring halophilic microorganisms for novel antimicrobial discovery: molecular mechanisms and computational approaches.","authors":"Pooja Bhowmick, Pankaj Kumar, Simran Panjabi, Shailja Dhiman","doi":"10.1007/s12223-026-01568-1","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s12223-026-01568-1","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The rapid rise in antibiotic resistance, which causes more than 700,000 deaths worldwide each year, has intensified the search for alternative antimicrobial sources to combat multidrug-resistant (MDR) pathogens. Halophilic microorganisms inhabiting hypersaline environments represent underexplored reservoirs of structurally diverse bioactive metabolites. Halophiles rely on distinctive osmoadaptation strategies, such as \"salt-in\" and \"salt-out\" mechanisms, that contribute to the structural stability and functional resilience of their metabolites under conditions that may compromise the efficacy of conventional antibiotics. Several halophile-derived compounds exhibit non-classical antimicrobial mechanisms, including membrane destabilization, disruption of ion homeostasis, and interference with quorum sensing. These multi-target strategies may reduce susceptibility to common resistance mechanisms such as efflux activity and enzymatic inactivation. However, most reported compounds remain at the in vitro stage, with limited progression to in vivo validation. Integrating synthetic biology, metabolic engineering, and multi-omics approaches may facilitate activation of silent biosynthetic pathways and improve translational feasibility. This review integrates ecological adaptations, mechanistic insights into antimicrobial mechanisms, and modern omics-driven and computational discovery pipelines into a unified framework for antimicrobial discovery.</p>","PeriodicalId":12346,"journal":{"name":"Folia microbiologica","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2026-07-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148630015","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Investigation of the effects of ampicillin and ceftazidime on Proteus mirabilis using metabolomic approaches and bioinformatics analyses.","authors":"Kübra Tekşen, İdil Yet, Ergin Murat Altuner","doi":"10.1007/s12223-026-01567-2","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s12223-026-01567-2","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Antibiotic resistance is the ability of microorganisms to survive and proliferate despite exposure to antibiotics that would normally inhibit or kill susceptible strains. This resistance can make antibiotics ineffective or diminish their ability to combat microorganisms, complicating the treatment of infections and potentially leading to serious complications. To combat antibiotic resistance, a comprehensive analysis of changes in the metabolic activities of microorganisms is crucial for understanding the underlying mechanisms. Proteus mirabilis is a critical pathogen, particularly as a common cause of urinary tract infections (UTIs), especially in women. Typically, treating P. mirabilis infections relies on antibiotic-based therapies. However, when faced with resistant strains, treatment options become limited. This research aims to simulate how antibiotic resistance develops in P. mirabilis when exposed to sub-inhibitory concentrations of ampicillin and to explore whether ampicillin-resistant strains display cross-resistance to other antibiotics through metabolomic approaches. For this purpose, P. mirabilis strains were gradually exposed to sub-inhibitory concentrations of ampicillin using the disk diffusion method, leading to the selection of resistant passages. Ampicillin and ceftazidime were then applied to both ampicillin-resistant passages and sensitive control strains, and differences in their metabolomic profiles were compared. The metabolomic data obtained from this study were supported by statistical and bioinformatics analyses to facilitate metabolic pathway mapping, comprehend metabolic alterations, and identify interactions among metabolites. Metabolomic studies in antibiotic resistance research provide valuable insights into identifying metabolic alterations in resistant microorganisms, understanding microbial responses to antibiotic exposure, clarifying the effects of antibiotics on metabolic pathways, and gaining a comprehensive perspective on the mechanisms of antibiotic resistance.</p>","PeriodicalId":12346,"journal":{"name":"Folia microbiologica","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2026-07-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148630043","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"High-level expression and characterization of a thermostable thermolysin-like metalloprotease with industrial potential.","authors":"Sezgin Karaman, Kubilay Metin","doi":"10.1007/s12223-026-01564-5","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s12223-026-01564-5","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Proteases with high thermostability and catalytic efficiency are highly sought after for industrial applications, particularly within the M4 family of thermolysin-like metalloproteases. In this study, a thermostable thermolysin-like metalloprotease from Geobacillus thermoleovorans HBB208 was cloned and heterologously expressed in Escherichia coli BL21(DE3), yielding a soluble recombinant enzyme. The purified mature enzyme (GtRS1pro; ~34.6 kDa) contains the conserved HEXXH + E catalytic motif, a Zn²⁺-centered active site, and multiple Ca²⁺-binding sites characteristic of M4 proteases. GtRS1pro exhibited optimal activity at pH 8.0 and 70 °C, with a high catalytic efficiency (k_cat/K_m) of 2.25 × 10⁶ M^- 1 s^- 1. The enzyme showed remarkable thermostability (T₅₀ = 84.6 °C) and retained 99% residual activity after 1 h at 70 °C in the presence of 10 mM Ca²⁺. Functional assays demonstrated efficient hydrolysis of protein-rich substrates, including meat, collagen, and keratin. These properties position GtRS1pro as a robust and industrially relevant biocatalyst for high-temperature proteolysis and biowaste valorization, with potential applications in food processing and nutraceutical production.</p>","PeriodicalId":12346,"journal":{"name":"Folia microbiologica","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2026-07-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148618983","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Functional diversity and ecological consequences of endophytic Bacillus-plant interactions.","authors":"Jefferson Brendon Almeida Dos Reis","doi":"10.1007/s12223-026-01563-6","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s12223-026-01563-6","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The genus Bacillus, particularly endophytic species, has been widely studied as a source of plant growth-promoting bacteria in agricultural systems. These microorganisms contribute to plant performance through nutrient acquisition, phytohormone production, pathogen suppression, microbiome modulation, and enhanced tolerance to biotic and abiotic stresses. However, their ecological roles, functional plasticity, and genomic diversity remain poorly integrated into conceptual frameworks that extend beyond crop-based applications. Functional plasticity is reflected in their ability to colonize diverse plant hosts and tissues and to promote similar plant responses through distinct molecular mechanisms. Likewise, genomic diversity is evidenced by variation in accessory genomes, biosynthetic gene clusters, and regulatory networks that shape ecological functions and metabolite production. This review examines endophytic Bacillus as a model for understanding how metabolically versatile and genomically plastic bacteria establish functional, but context-dependent, associations with plants. Drawing on evidence from functional genomics, pangenomics, metabolomics, and microbial ecology, we discuss mechanisms associated with plant growth promotion and emphasize their dependence on host identity, environmental conditions, and microbial interactions. We address functional convergence arising from distinct genetic and metabolic routes, the contribution of accessory genomes and regulatory variation, and the ecological consequences of microbial inoculation in resident plant-associated microbiomes. We also highlight the limitations of in vitro screening approaches and the need for experimental validation across multiple biological scales to establish robust genotype-phenotype relationships. Finally, we extend the discussion beyond agricultural systems to consider the use of endophytic Bacillus in wild plant systems and ecological restoration, emphasizing the importance of evaluating both functional outcomes and ecological impacts.</p>","PeriodicalId":12346,"journal":{"name":"Folia microbiologica","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2026-07-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148619041","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Diversity and antimicrobial potential of endophytic fungi from Egyptian desert medicinal plants.","authors":"Tereza Ježková, Mo'men Hamed El-Katatny, Mohamed A Mawhoup, Usama Ramadan Abdelmohsen","doi":"10.1007/s12223-026-01560-9","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s12223-026-01560-9","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Fungal endophytes from desert medicinal plants represent a promising yet underexplored source of bioactive secondary metabolites. In this study, 33 ascomycetous endophytes were isolated from five desert medicinal plant species collected in Egypt: Thymelaea hirsuta (L.) Endl., Zygophyllum album L.f., Zygophyllum coccineum L., Asparagus horridus L., and Asphodelus ramosus L. Molecular analyses revealed several species with potential thermotolerance or plant-growth-promoting capabilities, suggesting that they may contribute to host resilience in harsh arid environments. Ethyl acetate extracts of 29 isolates were screened for their antimicrobial activities against Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, and Candida albicans. Several strains exhibited notable inhibitory effects. In particular, Canariomyces notabilis (GenBank accession nos. PZ502997, PZ530688) and Taifanglania parvispora (GenBank accession nos. PZ503016, PZ530694) displayed pronounced antimicrobial activity. Taifanglania parvispora CCF 6980 exhibited the strongest activity against MRSA (28 mm inhibition zone), whereas Canariomyces notabilis CCF 6973 showed broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity, producing inhibition zones of 20-31 mm, with the highest activity observed against Candida albicans. These findings highlight their potential for further investigation, especially as their secondary metabolites remain uncharacterised. Overall, this study expands the known diversity of fungal endophytes associated with Egyptian desert medicinal plants and highlights several taxa as potential sources of novel antimicrobial compounds.</p>","PeriodicalId":12346,"journal":{"name":"Folia microbiologica","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2026-07-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148619034","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Myco-synthesized silver nanoparticles from Aspergillus niger AH1 as multifunctional anti-Helicobacter pylori agents: Antibacterial, antibiofilm, anti-urease, and antibiotic-synergistic activities.","authors":"Mohammed S Abdulrahman, Amr H Hashem, Ebrahim Saied, Rafik Abdellatif Metwally, Fathy M Elkady","doi":"10.1007/s12223-026-01559-2","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s12223-026-01559-2","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Helicobacter pylori remains a primary driver of chronic gastritis, peptic ulcers, and stomach cancer. However, surging antimicrobial resistance now causes treatment to fail in a significant number of patients. Because of their multi-target bactericidal processes, silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) have become a viable alternative antimicrobial therapy. In the current research, AgNPs were greenly synthesized employing Aspergillus niger AH1 (A. niger AH1) through an ecofriendly method. The biosynthesized AgNPs showed a characteristic surface plasmon resonance (SPR) peak at 420 nm, validating successful nanoparticles (NPs) development. Transmission electron microscope (TEM) analysis discovered primarily spherical and well-dispersed NPs with a size range of 8-38 nm, while dynamic light scattering (DLS) analysis exhibited an average hydrodynamic diameter of approximately 40 nm and a low polydispersity index (PDI = 0.122), indicating high colloidal stability. Furthermore, the X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis illustrated the crystalline nature of the obtained AgNPs with characteristic face-centered cubic (FCC) diffraction peaks and 38.3 nm average crystallite size. The biosafety of the biosynthesized AgNPs was assessed toward normal cell lines; results revealed that the biosynthesized AgNPs are safe in use, where the IC50 was 306.4 and 336.9 µg/ml toward Wi-38 and Vero cell lines, respectively. The destructive ability of AgNPs against 17 clinical H. pylori isolates was thoroughly assessed using different microbiological assays. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values varied from 64 to 256 µg/mL, while minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) values ranged from 64 to 1024 µg/mL. All isolates had MIC/MBC ratios of ≤ 4, indicating the bactericidal mode of action of AgNPs. In addition, AgNPs exhibited dose-dependent biofilm inhibition at sub-MIC concentrations, ranging from 1.31 to 60.42%. Mechanistic studies were subsequently performed using Hp13, the most susceptible isolate. In this representative isolate, AgNPs combined with amoxicillin and clarithromycin showed synergistic interactions in the checkerboard assay. AgNPs also suppressed urease activity in a concentration-dependent manner (IC₅₀ = 7.05 µg/mL), a concentration well below the isolate's MIC. Time-kill kinetics confirmed rapid bactericidal activity, while increased protein leakage indicated membrane disruption. These findings demonstrate that AgNPs possess potent antibacterial activity against clinical H. pylori isolates, whereas the mechanistic evidence was obtained using the representative isolate Hp13.</p>","PeriodicalId":12346,"journal":{"name":"Folia microbiologica","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2026-07-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148619017","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Taxonomic and functional inferences of cultivable endophytic fungi in two endemic Cerrado plants: dominance of Diaporthe across contrasting host phenologies.","authors":"Mayara Oliveira Sousa Rodrigues, Jefferson Brendon Almeida Dos Reis, Alexandra Martins, Danilo Batista Pinho, Lorena Carneiro Albernaz, Helson Mario Martins do Vale","doi":"10.1007/s12223-026-01533-y","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s12223-026-01533-y","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Host phenology is an important determinant of the microbial community, yet how it shapes the evolution and function of endophytic fungi in native plants of the Cerrado remains poorly understood. We investigated cultivable foliar fungal communities in Connarus suberosus (evergreen) and Diospyros lasiocalyx (deciduous) using an integrative approach. A total of 365 isolates were obtained, and most belonged to the genus Diaporthe. Both host plants harbored communities with similar alpha and beta diversity patterns, characterized by high taxonomic dominance and consistent composition. Beta diversity analyses revealed no significant differences in community composition between host species (PERMANOVA, p > 0.05). The high abundance of Diaporthe in both hosts likely contributed to the observed compositional similarity. Phylogenetic community structure was consistent between hosts, characterized by stochastic assembly for most taxa. The only distinct signal was a significant phylogenetic clustering for the genus Diaporthe in the deciduous D. lasiocalyx (NTI = 0.75; p = 0.042), whereas Diaporthe in C. suberosus followed a stochastic pattern (NTI = -0.60; p = 0.677). For non-dominant genera, assembly rules remained stochastic in both host species (p > 0.05). The bipartite network analysis indicated compartmentalization, with 72.4% of genera classified as specialists. Diaporthe showed significant negative correlations with Penicillium and Colletotrichum (p < 0.001), indicating non-random association patterns among dominant taxa. Functionally, Mantel analyses indicated that variation in plant-pathogen and litter-saprotroph guilds was associated with taxonomic community structure. Overall, our results indicate that contrasting host phenologies had limited effects on the diversity and composition of cultivable foliar endophytic fungal communities. Instead, both hosts were characterized by similar community structures dominated by Diaporthe, with only a subtle phylogenetic signal detected for this genus in the deciduous host.</p>","PeriodicalId":12346,"journal":{"name":"Folia microbiologica","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2026-07-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148619027","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"From mycelium to medicine: fungal strategies in the fight against resistance, cancer, and viral infections-insights from egyptian studies.","authors":"Ramy M Shady, Eman El-Gebaly, Mahmoud A Yassein, Mona H El-Gayar","doi":"10.1007/s12223-026-01547-6","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s12223-026-01547-6","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The increasing prevalence of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), alongside the global burden of cancer and viral infections, poses a major threat to human health and challenges existing therapeutic options. Multidrug-resistant pathogens, treatment failures in cancer, and emerging viral strains demand the urgent development of safer and more effective alternatives. Natural products, particularly fungal metabolites, have long been recognized as valuable sources of bioactive compounds with diverse pharmacological activities. Mushrooms, in particular, are rich in polysaccharides, terpenoids, flavonoids, phenolics, and other metabolites that exhibit antimicrobial, antiviral, antioxidant, immunomodulatory, and cytotoxic properties. Historical and modern evidence highlights their therapeutic potential against infections and malignancies, offering both preventive and curative benefits. In Egypt, where liver, breast, and colorectal cancers are highly prevalent, and AMR rates continue to rise, the search for novel natural agents is especially critical. Medicinal mushrooms such as Ganoderma lucidum, Lentinula edodes, Pleurotus spp., and Hericium erinaceus have demonstrated promising activities in vitro and in vivo, supporting their role as complementary or alternative therapies. Advances in extraction methods, from conventional hot water and solvent techniques to enzyme-assisted and supercritical fluid extraction, have further enhanced the recovery of potent fungal metabolites. This review summarizes the global and regional burden of AMR, cancer, and viral infections with particular emphasis on the Egyptian context, explores the bioactive potential of mushrooms, highlights key groups of fungal metabolites with therapeutic applications, and presents recent findings from Egyptian studies on locally sourced medicinal mushrooms. Harnessing these natural compounds offers a sustainable strategy for developing next-generation agents to overcome resistance, improve treatment outcomes, and support global health.</p>","PeriodicalId":12346,"journal":{"name":"Folia microbiologica","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2026-07-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148590879","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}