Photosensitive compounds found in herbs have been reported in recent years as having a variety of interesting medicinal and biological activities. In this review, we focus on photosensitizers such as hypericin and its model compounds emodin, quinizarin, and danthron, which have antiviral, antifungal, antineoplastic, and antitumor effects. They can be utilized as potential agents in photodynamic therapy, especially in photodynamic therapy (PDT) for cancer. We aimed to give a comprehensive summary of the physical and chemical properties of these interesting molecules, emphasizing their mechanism of action in relation to their different interactions with biomacromolecules, specifically with DNA.

• MeSH
• Anthraquinones chemistry   MeSH
• Photochemotherapy MeSH
• Photosensitizing Agents chemistry   pharmacology   MeSH
• Humans MeSH
• Neoplasms drug therapy   MeSH
• Perylene analogs & derivatives   chemistry   pharmacology   MeSH
• Antineoplastic Agents chemistry   pharmacology   MeSH
• Animals MeSH
• Check Tag
• Humans MeSH
• Animals MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Review MeSH

During our investigation on the endophytic fungi of Azadirachta indica, the strain YM 311593 was obtained from the fruit of the plant. The culture extract of the strain showed antifungal activities against four phytopathogenic fungi. Based on the morphological features and phylogenetic definition, the strain YM 311593 was identified as Paraconiothyrium sp. Four xanthones and one anthraquinone were obtained from the extract of the fermentation broth of the strain. They were characterized to be globosuxanthone A (1), vertixanthone (2), hydroxyvertixanthone (3), 3,8-dihydroxy-1-methy1-9H- xanthen-9-one (4), and danthron (5), respectively, by spectroscopic elucidation. Furthermore, the absolute configuration of 1 was deduced by X-ray diffraction analysis. Besides, compound 4 was firstly found from natural sources. The antifungal activities of compounds 1-5 towards four phytopathogens were assayed using broth microdilution method. Among them, globosuxanthone A (1) showed obvious antifungal activity towards Fusarium graminearum, Fusarium solani, and Botrytis cinerea with MIC values of 4, 8, and 16 μg/mL, respectively.

• MeSH
• Ascomycota chemistry   isolation & purification   MeSH
• Azadirachta microbiology   MeSH
• Endophytes chemistry   isolation & purification   MeSH
• Phylogeny MeSH
• Fungi drug effects   MeSH
• Culture Media chemistry   MeSH
• Fruit microbiology   MeSH
• Fungicides, Industrial isolation & purification   pharmacology   MeSH
• Xanthones isolation & purification   pharmacology   MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH