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 μM or 0.5 μg/mL); significant (IC50/LD50: 1~10 μM or 0.5~5 μg/mL); moderate (IC50/LD50: 10~30 μM or 5~15 μg/mL); mild (IC50/LD50: 30~50 μM or 15~25 μg/mL); weak (IC50/LD50: 50~100 μM or 25~50 μg/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.