Penicillium Brefeldianum: Insights into its Secondary Metabolites, Pharmacological Active Compounds and Biotechnological Potential

Penicillium brefeldianum is a filamentous fungus capable of producing secondary metabolites that have significant applications in pharmaceuticals, agriculture, and food production. To date, no review is present that encapsulates the secondary metabolites produced by P. brefeldianum. This review encompassed the literature from 1963 to 2024, utilizing esteemed databases such as Google Scholar, Science Direct and PubMed, among various others, on 90 secondary metabolites of P. brefeldianum including alkaloids such as indole diketopiperazines and indole diterpenoids, as well as polyketides like macrolide lactones, macrolide lactams, pyrones, chromones, pteridines, cyclopentenones, orcinols, and statins. These compounds exhibit remarkable pharmacological activities, including anticancer, antimicrobial, antiviral, antioxidant, antidiabetic, and anti-inflammatory activity, indicating their potential utility in both pharmaceutical and industrial applications. Furthermore, P. brefeldianum demonstrates significant biotechnological promise through the production of essential enzymes such as β-glucanases, xylanase, amylase, pectinase, sucrase, raffinase and melezitase, which are crucial for various industrial processes. This review emphasizes the importance of further research into the genetic basis and cultivation conditions of these organisms to enhance the production of valuable compounds and enzymes, thereby revealing the untapped potential of P. brefeldianum for diverse industrial applications