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Fungal biotransformation platform may generate new anti-infective molecules to combat antimicrobial resistanceFungal Biotransformation May Help Combat Antimicrobial Resistance
Frontiers in MedicinePublished June 10, 2026DOI ↗Editorial oversight: Dr. Amelia Tan, PhD · Internal Medicine & Chronic Disease
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Key Takeaway
Consider fungal biotransformation as an exploratory drug discovery platform, not a clinically proven strategy.
This narrative review explores the potential of fungal biotransformation as a discovery-enabling platform for identifying new anti-infective molecules to combat antimicrobial resistance. The authors describe how fungal systems, utilizing cytochrome P450 monooxygenases, peroxygenases, laccases, peroxidases, and hydrolases, can mediate regio- and stereoselective transformations of xenobiotics, aromatics, steroids, terpenes, and lipids. These transformations generate structurally refined metabolites that may serve as leads for novel antimicrobial agents.
The review synthesizes qualitative findings from the literature on fungal biotransformation, emphasizing the versatility of fungal enzymes in modifying diverse chemical scaffolds. No pooled effect sizes or quantitative outcomes are reported, as the review focuses on methodology and potential rather than clinical trial results. The authors do not report specific adverse events, safety data, or comparisons with existing treatments.
Limitations include the narrative nature of the review, which may introduce selection bias, and the lack of clinical or preclinical efficacy data. The review does not address the translational challenges of moving from fungal biotransformation to approved therapies.
Practice relevance is limited at this stage; fungal biotransformation is presented as a conceptual platform for drug discovery rather than an immediately applicable clinical tool. Clinicians should interpret these findings as exploratory and not as evidence for any specific therapeutic intervention.
How this fits prior evidence
This narrative review extends prior coverage of antimicrobial resistance strategies by introducing fungal biotransformation as a novel discovery platform. Unlike prior reviews on phage strategies or plasmid curing agents, which describe specific anti-infective approaches without clinical outcomes, this review focuses on enzymatic modification of compounds to generate new molecular entities. It addresses a gap in the prior coverage by proposing a method for creating structurally refined metabolites, though it remains at a conceptual stage without clinical data.
Researchers are looking at a process called fungal biotransformation. This involves using specific enzymes found in fungi, such as laccases and peroxidases, to change the structure of various substances like steroids and lipids. These transformations can create new, refined molecules from existing materials.
This method is being explored as a way to find new medicines. Because many bacteria and fungi are becoming resistant to current treatments, scientists hope these fungal systems can help identify new ways to fight infections. The process focuses on creating structurally unique metabolites that could eventually lead to new anti-infective drugs.
It is important to note that this research is a narrative review of potential methods. It does not include results from clinical trials or human testing. While the findings offer an interesting path for drug discovery, they do not provide immediate medical treatments or proven cures for current infections.
What this means for you:
Fungal enzymes may help scientists discover new ways to fight resistant bacteria and fungal infections.
Common questions
What is fungal biotransformation?
Fungal biotransformation is a process where fungi use enzymes like laccases and peroxidases to change the structure of chemicals. These systems can transform substances such as steroids, terpenes, and lipids into refined metabolites. This process is being studied as a way to find new molecules for treating infections.
How does this help with antimicrobial resistance?
Because many bacteria and fungi are becoming resistant to current drugs, scientists use fungal biotransformation as a discovery platform. It helps them identify new anti-infective molecules that could potentially overcome the problem of antimicrobial resistance in medical treatments.
Is this a new treatment for infections?
No, this is not a current medical treatment. The research is a narrative review focusing on how these fungal systems can help scientists find new drugs in the future. It does not provide immediate clinical results or specific medications for patients today.
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) continues to outpace the development of new anti-infective agents, particularly against priority bacterial pathogens such as Acinetobacter baumannii, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Staphylococcus aureus, as well as clinically relevant fungi including Candida auris. In this scenario, biotransformation has emerged as a complementary innovation strategy for antimicrobial discovery because it expands the chemical space around bioactive scaffolds through selective enzymatic or whole-cell modification. Among the available biocatalysts, fungi are especially attractive due to their metabolic plasticity and broad enzymatic repertoire, including cytochrome P450 monooxygenases, unspecific peroxygenases, laccases, peroxidases, and hydrolases. Current evidence shows that fungal systems can mediate regio- and stereoselective transformations of xenobiotics, aromatics, steroids, terpenes, and lipids, generating structurally refined metabolites of pharmacological and biotechnological interest. This narrative review discusses where fungal biotransformation currently stands as a platform for antimicrobial innovation, highlighting representative enzyme-characterized examples, the main fungal groups and catalytic systems involved, and the experimental workflows used to evaluate these processes. Particular emphasis is given to assay design with growing cells, resting cells, and isolated enzymes, as well as to analytical monitoring by time-course sampling, LC-HRMS/MS, dereplication, molecular networking, isolation, and structural elucidation. Overall, fungal biotransformation is presented as a discovery-enabling platform that links biodiversity, enzymatic catalysis, analytical chemistry, and biological prioritization in the search for new anti-infective molecules.
