Marine-Derived Penicillium Species as Producers of Cytotoxic Metabolites

Since the discovery of penicillin, Penicillium has become one of the most attractive fungal genera for the production of bioactive molecules. Marine-derived Penicillium has provided numerous excellent pharmaceutical leads over the past decades. In this review, we focused on the cytotoxic metabolites * (* Cytotoxic potency was referred to five different levels in this review, extraordinary (IC50/LD50: <1 M or 0.5 g/mL); significant (IC50/LD50: 1 similar to 10 M or 0.5 similar to 5 g/mL); moderate (IC50/LD50: 10 similar to 30 M or 5 similar to 15 g/mL); mild (IC50/LD50: 30 similar to 50 M or 15 similar to 25 g/mL); weak (IC50/LD50: 50 similar to 100 M or 25 similar to 50 g/mL). The comparative potencies of positive controls were referred when they were available). produced by marine-derived Penicillium species, and on their cytotoxicity mechanisms, biosyntheses, and chemical syntheses.