Fungal Enzyme Inhibitors: Potent Repository of Lead Compounds to Curb Cancer

Fungi are considered to be storehouse of novel biologically and structurally diverse compounds with immense therapeutic potential. Novel therapeutic moieties have been discovered from fungi and subsequently deployed in pharmaceutical industry as antimicrobial, anticancer, neuroprotective, and antioxidant moieties. Tremendous research is being carried out in the exploration of fungal secondary metabolites for anticancer therapy of which enzyme inhibitors are the novel targets. Various enzymes, viz. histone deacetylase (HDAC), DNA topoisomerases, telomerase, cyclooxygenase (COX-2), angiotensin-converting enzyme, phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase enzymes, are considered to be drug targets for the treatment of various tumors. Many therapeutic molecules belonging to the different classes of organic compounds are reported to be potent anticancerous molecules, but none of the molecule is commercialized due to various adverse effects. The present chapter will outline various classes of enzymes and their inhibitors which can be exploited as effective anticancer agents.