A Systematic review of Aspergillus fumigatus metabolites of antimicrobial importance

Background: Aspergillus fumigatus is a common fungus in many environments; from the air we breathe and the ground beneath us to even the International Space Station. It has proven capable of yielding no fewer than 226 bioactive compounds, 36 of which are chemical structures that may be connected to the genome of Aspergillus fumigatus through biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs). This systematic review aims to investigate the status of Aspergillus fumigatus metabolites that are of antimicrobial importance. Methods: PubMed was systematically searched on November 5, 2023, using the algorithm "Aspergillus fumigatus" AND "Metabolites" AND "Antimicrobial." In line with PRISMA guidelines, three qualifying studies were selected for inclusion. Results: A total of sixty (60) articles were retrieved without duplicates, of which forty-eight (48) articles were screened out upon title and abstract screening. Five articles (5) were also excluded for lack of accessible full text, and finally four (4) articles were removed as review articles, and three (3) studies were used in this research as they meet the criteria since the review is focusing on only experimental work that studied metabolites of Aspergillus fumigatuswith antimicrobial properties with no restriction to year or continent. The three articles included in the study revealed 77 metabolites, among which 29 are polyketides, 26 are terpenoids, 14 are peptides, and 9 are alkaloids, as they were classified based on structural and biochemical characteristics. These metabolites exhibit broad-spectrum antimicrobial effects and offer promising templates for the development of novel drugs. Conclusion: In our review, we highlighted secondary metabolites of Aspergillus fumigatusfrom different environments around the world that demonstrated antimicrobial effects. This has not been reported in any previous work as far as we know, as previous publications reported the genus generally, but this work is specific to the fumigatus species, and it needs to be explored in different environments, especially extreme environments like hot springs, where there is less information available. Previous research has demonstrated that microorganisms from extreme environments are excellent candidates to produce antimicrobials.