Sunil Kumar Deshmukh

• MSc, PhD
• Advisor at AGPHARM BIOINNOVATIONS LLP

Advances in Cordyceps Research - Prospects and Avenue

Addressing agricultural pests and pathogens in an eco-friendly manner is a major aspect of sustainable development goals. The escalating resistance of pests and pathogens to chemical pesticides, coupled with their detrimental environmental impact, poses a significant concern within the scientific community. There is an urgent need for further resea...

Emerging and reemerging fungal infections are very common in nosocomial and non-nosocomial settings in people having poor immunogenic profiles either due to hematopoietic stem cell transplants or are using immunomodulators to treat chronic inflammatory disease or autoimmune disorders, undergoing cancer therapy or suffering from an immune weakening...

The discipline of mycology is a fascinating one. It has a major influence on the nutrition, health and environmental safety of mankind. Cultivation of edible and non-edible mushrooms for nutrition, pharmaceuticals, biopolymers and biocomposites will open up new avenues in research as well as the more profitable utilization of agricultural residues....

The pathogenic wood-decaying fungus Irpex lacteus belongs to Basidiomycota Polyporales. This mushroom causes a white rot and occurs on numerous hardwood trees, growing on dead branches of either dead or living trees as well as on dead standing trunks or fallen trunks and branches. The geographic distribution of I. lacteus is restricted to the North...

The sulfur-yellow polyporous mushroom Laetiporus sulphureus is also called the “chicken of the woods”. Wood-rotting basidiomycetes commonly grow on several decaying deciduous trees in Africa, Asia, Europe and South America. Various classes of chemical compounds were produced by L. sulphureus including polysaccharides, lectins, melanin, terpenes, st...

Preface

The book, Ecology of Macrofungi: An Overview projects some of the current developments in macrofungal ecology in different habitats. Contributions of 41 researchers from 11 countries offered chapters on different facets of macrofungal ecology. This volume emphasizes four subdivisions of macrofungal ecology: (1) Importance in forest ecosystem; (2) E...

Macrofungi are an evolutionarily and ecologically important segments of the fungal kingdom exists independently as well as in mutualistic association with plants and animals. They play prime ecological roles in the degradation of lignocellulosic materials, nutrient transport and biogeochemical cycles in varied ecosystems. Macrofungi prefer a variet...

Laetiporus sulphureus (Bull.) Murrill - FOMITOPSIDACEAE . Yusufjon Gafforov, Michal Tomšovský, Lei Cai, Paola Angelini, Gaia Cusumano, Roberto Venanzoni, Giancarlo Angeles Flores, Milena Rašeta, Sunil K. Deshmukh et Sylvie Rapior. Laetiporus sulphureus (Bull.) Murrill - FOMITOPSIDACEAE. Pages 1219-1236. doi:10.1007/978-3-031-23031-8_115 ; hal-04373...

Irpex lacteus (Fr.) Fr. - IRPICACEAE Yusufjon Gafforov, Sunil K. Deshmukh, Michal Tomšovský, Manzura Yarasheva, Mengcen Wang et Sylvie Rapior. Irpex lacteus (Fr.) Fr. - IRPICACEAE. Pages 1203-1217. doi:10.1007/978-3-031-23031-8_114 ; hal-04373787v1

Fomitopsis betulina (Bull.) B.K. Cui, M.L. Han & Y.C. Dai; Fomitopsis pinicola (Sw.) P. Karst. - FOMITOPSIDACEAE Yusufjon Gafforov, Sunil K. Deshmukh, Shilpa A. Verekar, Michal Tomšovský, Manzura Yarasheva, Jia-Jia Chen, Ewald Langer et Sylvie Rapior. Fomitopsis betulina (Bull.) B.K. Cui, M.L. Han & Y.C. Dai; Fomitopsis pinicola (Sw.) P. Karst. -...

Cerioporus squamosus (Huds.) Quél.; Cerioporus leptocephalus (Fr.) Zmitr. & Kovalenko - POLYPORACEAE Yusufjon Gafforov, Sunil K. Deshmukh, Shilpa A. Verekar, Sylvie Rapior, Michal Tomšovský, Milena Rašeta, Manzura Yarasheva et Lei Cai. Cerioporus squamosus (Huds.) Quél.; Cerioporus leptocephalus (Fr.) Zmitr. & Kovalenko - POLYPORACEAE. Pages 959-9...

The process of urbanization is one of the most important human-driven activities that reshape the natural distribution of soil microorganisms. However, it is still unclear about the effects of urbanization on the different taxonomic soil bacterial community dynamics. In this study, we collected soil samples from highly urbanized the regions of Yang...

The ascomycete genus Arthrinium (class, Sordariomycetes; family, Apiosporaceae) comprises approximately 88 species distributed worldwide. It has been reported as saprobes, plant pathogens and endophytes worldwide. It has been isolated from different terrestrial environments (e.g. soil, air, plants and marine ecosystems). Arthrinium is known to prod...

This book presents various biotechnological applications of the fungal systems in pharmaceuticals, nutraceuticals, textile industry, bioremediation, biofuel, and the production of biomolecules. It discusses the important role of fungal secondary metabolites in human welfare and nutrition. It explores fungi as the vital sources of novel substances w...

Cantharellus cibarius, an ectomycorrhizal fungus belonging to the Basidiomycetes, has significant medicinal and edible value, economic importance, and ecological benefits. However, C. cibarius remains incapable of artificial cultivation, which is thought to be due to the presence of bacteria. Therefore, much research has focused on the relationship...

Fungi have been proven to be an inexhaustible treasure for structural-unique bioactive metabolites. Aspergillus sclerotiorum (Aspergillaceae) is a source of different enzymes that could have potential biotechnological and industrial applications. Also, this fungus has the capacity to biosynthesize different metabolites: pyrazines, cyclic peptides,...

Traditional studies in mycology mainly deal with damage caused by fungi, for instance, diseases of plants, animal ailments, air-borne pathogens, decomposition of wood and production of mycotoxins in food. Applied mycology focuses on the fermentation of foods (flours, bakery products, cheese and others) and production of fermented products (wine, be...

Preface

The cell wall polysaccharides of fungi viz. β-glucan, chitin, chitosan, and mannan and different fungal exopolysaccharides find wide-ranging applications in various industries. The fungal exopolysaccharides (EPSs) such as pullulan (Aureobasidium), scleroglucan (Sclerotium), and botryosphaeran (Botryosphaeria) are recognized as high value bio-macrom...

The enzyme α-glucosidases (EC 3.2.1.20) catalyzes the hydrolysis of α-1,4-glucopyranoside bond in oligosaccharides and disaccharides and thus plays an essential role in regulating glucose content and the level of postprandial hyperglycemia. The inhibition of α-glucosidases is considered a viable strategy to develop new and effective antidiabetic dr...

Diabetes is a growing health concern worldwide because it affects people of all age groups and increases the risk of other diseases such as renal impairment and neural and cardiovascular disorders. Oral hypoglycemic drugs mainly control diabetes; however, their associated side effects limit their use in patients with other complications. PTP1B is a...

Xylaria is the largest genus of the family Xylariaceae (Xylariales, Sordariomycetes) and presently consists of ca. 300 accepted species of stromatic pyrenomycetes. They are popularly known as dead man’s finger, have common distribution in soil, leaf litter, woody litter, and termite mounds. In addition, they also have mutualistic association as end...

Fungi are multifaceted microbes and are one of the largest groups among living organisms, and have established themselves as an important source of the diverse bioactive metabolites. These metabolites are of different attributes such as anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, immunosuppressant, cholesterol-lowering, anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, and anti-di...

As the world manages the impact of a global pandemic caused by COVID-19, the discovery of new antiviral agents has become way more relevant and urgent. Viruses are submicroscopic infectious agents that replicate inside the living cells of different organisms. These viruses use nucleic acids (both DNA and RNA) for further replication and maturity in...

Increasing prevalence of drug resistance has led research to focus on discovering new antibacterial agents derived from the marine biome. Although ample studies have investigated marine fungi for their bioactive metabolites with hopeful prospects in drug discovery. The present study was aimed to isolate/ identify potential anti methicillin‐resistan...

Antibiotic resistance is becoming a burning issue due to the frequent use of antibiotics for curing common bacterial infections, indicating that we are running out of effective antibiotics. This has been more obvious during recent corona pandemics. Similarly, enhancement of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is strengthening the pathogenicity and virul...

Abstract Endophytic fungi are prolific generators of bioactive metabolites with natural antioxidant properties that have a range of potential uses. In the present work, the antioxidant activity and phylogenetic diversity of endophytic fungi obtained from semi-arid terrestrial plants and the fungi obtained from the mangrove soil samples are investig...

Hericium erinaceus (commonly known as lion’s mane mushroom) is an edible mushroom used in traditional Chinese medicine. It is a prolific producer of diverse bioactive metabolites with neuroprotective and neuroregenerative properties (e.g. β-glucan polysaccharides, hericenones, erinacine terpenoids, isoindolinones, sterols, and myconutrients). Becau...

This book deals with recent developments in macrofungal pharmaceuticals and cosmeceuticals

Cantharellus cibarius is a widely distributed, popular, edible fungus with high nutritional and economic value. However, significant challenges persist in the microbial ecology and artificial cultivation of C. cibarius. Based on the 16S rRNA sequencing data, this study analyzed bacterial community structures and diversity of fruit bodies and rhizom...

Preface

The chapter makes a modest attempt to highlight the major achievements of fungal plant pathology in India which had set a milestone in history of fungal plant pathology. The chapter summarizes the historical achievements made in the area of plant pathology with respect to diseases caused by fungal pathogens, disease biology research, epidemiology,...

Considering the worldwide demand for colorants of natural origin, the utilization of ascomycete fungi as a prolific pigment producer unfolds a novel way to obtain these pigments for various applications, including food, cosmetic, and medical use. The presence of very few natural red pigment alternatives in the market also attracts research and indu...

Endophytic fungi are prolific generators of bioactive metabolites with natural antioxidant properties that have a range of potential uses. In the present work, the antioxidant activity and phylogenetic diversity of endophytic fungi obtained from semi-arid terrestrial plants and the fungi obtained from the mangrove soil samples is investigated. The...

Marine fungi are rich source of biologically active molecules; but, a poorly explored bioresource for cosmeceutical products. This study evaluates the phytochemistry, antioxidant, and anti‐tyrosinase effects of the organic extracts of marine fungi isolated from various marine environments in India. Out of 35 screened fungal strains, methanol extrac...

Diabetes mellitus is one of the most common systemic diseases in the world and it occurs when the body becomes resistant to insulin or doesn't make enough insulin. As described by the World Health Organization, diabetes mellitus of all types has exponentially grown in the past decades across the globe and it is estimated to be 629 million by 2045....

Xylaria, ascomycetous macrofungi employed in Chinese traditional medicine as well as in Indian Ayurveda. Xylaria nigripes and X. polymorpha are well known for antioxidant, immunomodulatory, anti-inflammatory, hepatoprotective, anti-tumor, prevention of spatial memory impairment and anti-depressant properties. In Chinese medicine, X. nigripes is use...

A total of 70 feathers samples of Emu (Dromaius novaehollandiae) were collected from 7 Emu farms situated at two districts (Raigad and Thane) of Maharashtra (India) and screened for resident keratinophilic fungi. Among them, 44 isolates were recovered and identified by evaluating characteristic macro- and micro-morphological features. Further gene...

Antioxidants are substances that interact both inside and outside of a biological system in protecting against the damaging effects of highly reactive free radicals produced during metabolism. Among the various natural alternative sources of antioxidants, endophytic and marine fungi are good sources of potential antioxidant compounds. Fungi are pro...

Fungi are multifaceted microbes and are one of the largest groups among living organisms and have established themselves as an important source of the diverse bioactive metabolites. These metabolites are of different attributes such as antibacterial, antifungal, immunosuppressant, cholesterol-lowering, anticancer, anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic, e...

Color is an integral part of human life predominantly used for food, textile, craft, painting, etc. Plants, lichens, and insects have been sources of natural colorants during the early part of civilization. Over the years, focus was shifted toward synthetic colors, mainly due to high demand, low production cost, and issues related to stability. But...

The study aimed to explore the bacterial community composition and the functions of core microbiota in Eucommia ulmoides bark. The bark samples of E. ulmoides were collected from Wangcang Sichuan Province, Cili Hunan Province, and Zunyi Guizhou Province, in China, respectively. Through the high-throughput sequencing methods and techniques, the comm...

Background Antioxidants are the substances that interact inside and outside of a biological system against the damaging effects of highly reactive free radicals produced during metabolism. Among various natural alternative sources of bioactive metabolites, endophytic fungi have emerged as a significant reservoir of potent antioxidant compounds. The...

Over the past 50 years, fungal natural products have revolutionized medicine, yielding drugs which have enormous therapeutic potential. The aim of this study was to investigate the probable effect of marine fungal natural products on various skin pathogens. Initially, seventy natural extracts obtained from 35 different marine fungal strains were an...

Endophytic fungi reside within the plant tissues and maintain a strong symbiotic relationship. They are of utmost importance as promising sources of chemically diverse bioactive natural products. These microbes alter gene expression levels, modulate biosynthetic pathways, mitigate stressful conditions in plants and thereby play an important role in...

Lichens are synergetic organisms composed of a mycobiont in relationship with one or more photosynthetic partners (photobiont). These organisms grow on various substrates and sometimes under extreme ecological environments. A different group of non-obligate micro-fungi also resides inside the internal tissues of the lichen thalli without causing an...

Endophytic microbial flora induces the plant immunity in response to pathogen attack. Aquilaria is the plant which has high value in diseased state due to production of agarwood after infection. Agarwood has enormous applications in fragrance and pharmaceutical industries. In the present chapter, we have reviewed the diversity of endophytic fungi i...

Marine fungi are promising sources of bioactive metabolites. The wide array of fungal metabolites produced depends on the origin of the marine fungi, as their habitats are diverse, including living symbiotically with marine sponges and algae, or found in mangrove and bottom sediments. The metabolites discovered from marine fungi possess a range of...

The genus Plectosphaerella is the largest genus in the family Plectosphaerellaceae. Some species are plant pathogens, whereas others are soil-borne. Seven Plectosphaerella isolates were collected from various locations in the southwest of China. Using multi-locus phylogenetic (LSU, ITS, EF1α, RPB2) analyses combined with morphological characteristi...

Endophytic fungi are associated with plants and reside inside it without causing any harm to the host plants. These fungi are considered as one of the natural sources for getting diverse high-value compounds. Natural compounds which are primarily produced by the host plants including Taxol, camptothecin, podophyllotoxin, vinblastine, vincristine, a...

Chemical characterization of ethyl acetate extract of Exophiala sp. has afforded the isolation of three compounds including a new isocoumarin named exophiarin (1). Exophiala sp. was obtained from the soil containing dumped organic waste (litter). Initially, LC-UV-MS analysis of the extract of Exophiala sp. revealed the presence of a new compound ha...

Developing new colors for the food industry is challenging, as colorants need to be compatible with a food flavors, safety, and nutritional value, and which ultimately have a minimal impact on the price of the product. In addition, food colorants should preferably be natural rather than synthetic compounds. Micro-organisms already produce industria...

Macrofungi

Preface

The book provides an introduction to the basics of fungi, discussing various types ranging from edible mushrooms to Neurospora – a model system for genetics and epigenetics. After addressing the classification and biodiversity of fungi, and fungi in different ecological niches, it describes the latest applications of fungi, their role in sustainabl...

Aggregation/misfolding of α-synuclein and βA4 proteins cause neuronal cell death (NCD) associated with Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease. It has been suggested that a heat shock protein-90 (Hsp90) inhibitor can prevent NCD by activating the heat shock transcription factor-1 which, in turn, upregulates molecular chaperones such as Hsp70 that targe...

Cancer is the second leading cause of death worldwide, and the number of cases is increasing alarmingly every year. Current research focuses on the development of novel chemotherapeutic drugs derived from natural as well as synthetic sources. The abundance and diversity in natural resources offer tremendous potential for the discovery of novel mole...

The emerging and re-emerging forms of fungal infections encountered in the course of allogeneic bone marrow transplantations, cancer therapy, and organ transplants have necessitated the discovery of antifungal compounds with enhanced efficacy and better compatibility. A very limited number of antifungal compounds are in clinical practice against th...

Fungi living without any symptoms within the tissue of upper subgroups of plantae are known as endophytic fungi. Since the discovery of Taxol, these fungi have received immense attention both from mycologists and microbiologists that resulted in the discovery of cryptocandin, camptothecin, vincristine and several other clinically useful small molec...

Forty soil samples were collected from seven sites in the vicinity of Sambhar lake Rajasthan, India and screened for the presence of keratinophilic fungi using hair baiting techniques for isolation. Seventeen isolates were recovered and identified. The cultures were identified by recognition of their macro- and micro- morphological features. Their...

Mining waste such as iron ore tailing is environmentally hazardous, encouraging researchers to develop effective bioremediation technologies. Among the microbial isolates collected from iron ore tailings, Aspergillus aculeatus (strain T6) showed good leaching efficiency and produced iron-containing nanoparticles under ambient conditions. This strai...

A number of useful metabolites with cosmeceutical potential have been reported from marine sources over the last several years. Marine life, particularly sponge, algae, tunicates, bacteria and fungi, produces a wide variety of bioactive metabolites whose diversity is enhanced by the varied environmental conditions present in the oceans. The marine...

Metabolites from marine fungi have hogged the limelight in drug discovery because of their promise as therapeutic agents. A number of metabolites related to marine fungi have been discovered from various sources which are known to possess a range of activities as antibacterial, antiviral and anticancer agents. Although, over a thousand marine fungi...

Tannin acyl hydrolase (E.C.3.1.1.20) universally known as tannase is an inducible enzyme that predominantly acts on tannins. Tannins have been documented as high molecular weight polyphenolic compounds possessing molecular weight in the range (500–3000 kDa). Tannins are the second most abundant polyphenolic compounds existing in nature after lignin...

This chapter discusses the occurrence of keratinophilic fungi in different habitats wherein the population of these fungi is expected to occur: air, soil from various environments like gardens, caves, cold and saline habitat. The ability to degrade the keratinic material and mechanism of action is discussed. Importance of these fungi in petroleum h...

Since ages, colors have been an integral part of humankind whether it belongs to foodstuff, clothing, or day-to-day living. Long back in history, various pigments are used by all the races. Earlier the colors that were in use were natural in origin, but due to rise in demand mankind shifted to manufacturing of synthetic colors. With the passage of...

This book explores the developments in important aspects of fungi related to the environment, industrial mycology, microbiology, biotechnology, and agriculture. It discusses at length both basic and applied aspects of fungi and provides up-to-date laboratory-based data. Of the estimated three million species of fungi on Earth, according to Hawkswor...

Marine environments are largely unexplored and can be a source of new molecules for the treatment of many diseases such as malaria, cancer, tuberculosis, HIV etc. The Marine environment is one of the untapped bioresource of getting pharmacologically active nonribosomal peptides (NRPs). Bioprospecting of marine microbes have achieved many remarkable...

Fungal endophytes have marked a significant impact on drug discovery reducing the burden and dependency on plants. The vast diversity of Pestalotiopsis sp. has emerged as promising source of wide range of bioactive natural compounds. Recently a series of numerous novel secondary metabolites have been discovered of which taxol has drawn attention of...

Fresh bark pieces of Mimusops elengi Linn. were used for the isolation of fungal endophytes using standard methods. Mimusops elengi is a small to a large evergreen medicinal plant found all over the different parts of India. Seventy one endophytic fungi belonging to ascomycetes (11.27%), coelomycetes (39.44%) and hyphomycetes (49.29%) were isolated...

In this study, an ecofriendly and economically viable waste management approach have been attempted towards the biosynthesis of agriculturally important nanoparticles from jarosite waste. Aspergillus terreus strain J4 isolated from jarosite (waste from Debari Zinc Smelter, Udaipur, India), showed good leaching efficiency along with nanoparticles (N...

Cutibacterium acnes (or Propionibacterium acnes) is the main target for the prevention and medical treatment of acne vulgaris. The aim of this study was to evaluate the in vitro anti-C. acnes and anti-S. epidermidis properties of some marine fungi isolated from different Indian marine environments. Seventy fungal isolates were obtained from samples...

Since the very first report of acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) in the early 1980s in the United States, a number of advancements have taken place both in the structural and functional aspects of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) life cycle as well as anti-HIV drug design. While new drugs have come to the market and combination thera...