Strategies for Enhancing the Production of Echinocandin

Fungi are well known for their ability to naturally produce a multitude of secondary metabolites (SMs) which act as a weapon of defense to protect themselves against parasites and predators. The synthesis of SMs is a multistep process, stage-specific, and more amiable in the late-log or stationary phase. Echinocandins are potent first-line antifungals naturally synthesized from different fungal strains like Aspergillus rugulovalvus, Zalerion arboricola, and Papularia sphaerosperma. These important antifungals require a lower dosage, are less toxic to the host, and have quick fungicidal and fungistatic potential against a variety of fungal pathogens by targeting to inhibit 1,3-β-D-glucan synthase activity. The treatment of echinocandins is somewhat costlier and impracticable than other available antifungals. A group of investigators has made efforts to develop cost-effect echinocandin treatment. Different forms of echinocandins are now known that can be synthesized either naturally or semisynthetically from different strains. However, in apparent time, various semisynthetic derivatives of echinocandins such as anidulafungin, caspofungin, and micafungin have been developed. In this chapter, we will focus on different strategies employed for the induction of echinocandin production, in particular for reducing the cost of echinocandin treatment against fungal infections.