Medicinal fungi are species whose bioactive metabolites can be harnessed or biotechnologically enhanced to develop prescription drugs, including antimicrobials, antivirals, cholesterol-lowering agents, and psychotropics. Because fungi frequently form symbiotic or pathogenic relationships with plants, studying their compound production offers insight into plant-microbe chemical ecology and defense mechanisms. This intersection also opens avenues for discovering novel plant-associated biosynthetic pathways that could be applied in pharmaceutical research.
A probiotic yeast called Saccharomyces boulardii reduced brain inflammation and protected memory-related neurons in rats exposed to a toxin that mimics Alzheimer's disease conditions. It did this by dampening inflammatory signals in the hippocampus, likely through the gut-brain axis rather than by blocking the initial inflammation trigger.
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Saccharomyces boulardii pre-treatment significantly reduced NF-κB and IL-1β protein levels in the hippocampus of LPS-treated rats
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Probiotic treatment protected neurons in the hippocampal CA1 region from LPS-induced cell death, confirmed by Nissl staining
3
Sb partially improved spatial learning deficits but acted downstream of the TLR4 receptor, not by blocking TLR4 directly
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