Perylenequinones: Fungal metabolites under the spotlight

Fungal metabolites are well known for providing humanity with medical benefits, with penicillin and the antibiotics revolution that it stimulated probably one of the greatest examples. Interestingly, some of these molecules display a high level of conjugation, and as such, can be considered redox active metabolites (i.e., RAMs). With a diverse group of collaborators, we have been studying ways to harness the redox properties of fungal, [ Fig. 1 ] [ ] perylenequinones, specifically hypocrellins, [ Fig. ] [ 2 ] [ i.e ., ent -Shiraiachrome A (1)] and hypomycins [ i.e ., hypomycin C (5)], towards applications in photodynamic therapy and photocatalysis [ 1 ] [ 2 ]. This talk will present our understanding of these molecules, ranging from fermentation optimization studies to harnessing their redox potential in a variety of applications. Fig. 1 Structure of ent -shiraiachrome A (1) Fig. 2 Structure of hypomycin C (5) Publication History Article published online: 05 March 2026 © 2026. Thieme. All rights reserved. Georg Thieme Verlag KG Oswald-Hesse-Straße 50, 70469 Stuttgart, Germany