Fungi Penicillium citrinum

Many attempts have been made to find cholesterol biosynthesis inhibitors for development as hypocholesterolemic agents. Microbial secondary metabolites have been used as valuable natural sources in the development of novel cholesterol biosynthesis inhibitors. Mevastatin and lovastatin were isolated from the fungi, Penicillium citrinum and Aspergillus terreus, respectively, as potent inhibitors of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase which is involved in the rate-limiting step of cholesterol synthesis in mammals. These findings have led to the development of statins , which are drugs of choice in the treatment of hypercholesterolemia. 

Hop farmers are exposed to air that can contain dust, endotoxin, and micro-organisms. In one study of 19 farms in Poland Gram-positive bacteria formed 22-96% of the total count among them, corynebacteria and endospore-forming bacilli were prevalent (2). Fungi constituted 3.7-65% of the total count the dominant species were Penicillium citrinum, Alternaria alternata, and Cladosporium epiphyllum. Thermophilic... 

Statins are the secondary metaboKtes of a number of different filamentous fungi. Their medical importance and commercial value stem from their ability to inhibit the enzyme (3S)-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA (HMG-CoA) reductase. Since this enzyme catalyzes a key step in the endogenous cholesterol biosynthetic pathway, statins have become the widely used an-tihypercholesterolemic drugs. Along with some synthetic statins, the most prominent examples are lovastatin, mainly from Aspergillus terreus, and mevastatin produced by Penicillium citrinum, which was the first statin to be discovered [92, 93]. 

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