Newly isolated terpenoids (covering 2019–2024) from Aspergillus species and their potential for the discovery of novel antimicrobials

Abstract The rapid emergence of drug-resistant microbial pathogens has posed challenges to global health in the twenty-first century. This development has significantly made most antibiotics ineffective in the treatment of infections they cause, resulting in increasing treatment costs and annual dea...

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Main Authors: Olusesan Ojo, Idris Njanje, Dele Abdissa, Tarryn Swart, Roxanne L. Higgitt, Rosemary A. Dorrington
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: SpringerOpen 2025-03-01
Series:Natural Products and Bioprospecting
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Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1007/s13659-025-00501-2
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author Olusesan Ojo
Idris Njanje
Dele Abdissa
Tarryn Swart
Roxanne L. Higgitt
Rosemary A. Dorrington
author_facet Olusesan Ojo
Idris Njanje
Dele Abdissa
Tarryn Swart
Roxanne L. Higgitt
Rosemary A. Dorrington
author_sort Olusesan Ojo
collection DOAJ
description Abstract The rapid emergence of drug-resistant microbial pathogens has posed challenges to global health in the twenty-first century. This development has significantly made most antibiotics ineffective in the treatment of infections they cause, resulting in increasing treatment costs and annual death rates. To address the challenge posed by these pathogens, we explore the potential of secondary metabolites from Aspergillus species as a source of new and effective therapeutic agents to treat drug-resistant infections. Terpenoids, a distinct group of natural products, are extensively distributed in plants and fungi, and have been attributed with significant antibacterial, anticancer, and antiviral activities. In this review, we present an overview of Aspergillus species, and review the novel terpenoids isolated from them from 2019 to April 2024, highlighting anti-infective activity against members of the ESKAPE pathogens. We further focus on the strategies through which the structural framework of these new terpenoids could be modified and/or optimized to feed a pipeline of new lead compounds targeting microbial pathogens. Overall, this review provides insight into the therapeutic applications of terpenoids sourced from Aspergillus species and the potential for the discovery of new compounds from these fungi to combat antimicrobial resistance. Graphical Abstract
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institution Kabale University
issn 2192-2195
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language English
publishDate 2025-03-01
publisher SpringerOpen
record_format Article
series Natural Products and Bioprospecting
spelling doaj-art-a5ec0ac5f0b941a7935d6f9c6ffd0d552025-08-20T03:39:57ZengSpringerOpenNatural Products and Bioprospecting2192-21952192-22092025-03-0115113210.1007/s13659-025-00501-2Newly isolated terpenoids (covering 2019–2024) from Aspergillus species and their potential for the discovery of novel antimicrobialsOlusesan Ojo0Idris Njanje1Dele Abdissa2Tarryn Swart3Roxanne L. Higgitt4Rosemary A. Dorrington5Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Bioinformatics, Rhodes UniversityDepartment of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Bioinformatics, Rhodes UniversityDepartment of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Bioinformatics, Rhodes UniversityDepartment of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Bioinformatics, Rhodes UniversityDepartment of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Bioinformatics, Rhodes UniversityDepartment of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Bioinformatics, Rhodes UniversityAbstract The rapid emergence of drug-resistant microbial pathogens has posed challenges to global health in the twenty-first century. This development has significantly made most antibiotics ineffective in the treatment of infections they cause, resulting in increasing treatment costs and annual death rates. To address the challenge posed by these pathogens, we explore the potential of secondary metabolites from Aspergillus species as a source of new and effective therapeutic agents to treat drug-resistant infections. Terpenoids, a distinct group of natural products, are extensively distributed in plants and fungi, and have been attributed with significant antibacterial, anticancer, and antiviral activities. In this review, we present an overview of Aspergillus species, and review the novel terpenoids isolated from them from 2019 to April 2024, highlighting anti-infective activity against members of the ESKAPE pathogens. We further focus on the strategies through which the structural framework of these new terpenoids could be modified and/or optimized to feed a pipeline of new lead compounds targeting microbial pathogens. Overall, this review provides insight into the therapeutic applications of terpenoids sourced from Aspergillus species and the potential for the discovery of new compounds from these fungi to combat antimicrobial resistance. Graphical Abstracthttps://doi.org/10.1007/s13659-025-00501-2Antimicrobial resistanceESKAPE pathogensFungiSecondary metabolitesAnti-infective activities
spellingShingle Olusesan Ojo
Idris Njanje
Dele Abdissa
Tarryn Swart
Roxanne L. Higgitt
Rosemary A. Dorrington
Newly isolated terpenoids (covering 2019–2024) from Aspergillus species and their potential for the discovery of novel antimicrobials
Natural Products and Bioprospecting
Antimicrobial resistance
ESKAPE pathogens
Fungi
Secondary metabolites
Anti-infective activities
title Newly isolated terpenoids (covering 2019–2024) from Aspergillus species and their potential for the discovery of novel antimicrobials
title_full Newly isolated terpenoids (covering 2019–2024) from Aspergillus species and their potential for the discovery of novel antimicrobials
title_fullStr Newly isolated terpenoids (covering 2019–2024) from Aspergillus species and their potential for the discovery of novel antimicrobials
title_full_unstemmed Newly isolated terpenoids (covering 2019–2024) from Aspergillus species and their potential for the discovery of novel antimicrobials
title_short Newly isolated terpenoids (covering 2019–2024) from Aspergillus species and their potential for the discovery of novel antimicrobials
title_sort newly isolated terpenoids covering 2019 2024 from aspergillus species and their potential for the discovery of novel antimicrobials
topic Antimicrobial resistance
ESKAPE pathogens
Fungi
Secondary metabolites
Anti-infective activities
url https://doi.org/10.1007/s13659-025-00501-2
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