Mechanisms Underlying the Biochemical Activity of Scabrosin Esters and other Epipolythiodioxopiperazine Toxins.

真菌产生多种对动物有毒的化学物质。真菌可能已经发展出合成和分泌这些毒素的能力，作为化学防御机制的一部分，或者为了限制其他微生物的生命形式，因为营养竞争。其中一些毒素会选择性地杀死细菌和其他真菌等微生物以及病毒等简单的生命形式，这可能会导致人类的病理变化。真菌毒素也可用于控制增殖性疾病如癌症。由于真菌有数百万年的时间来选择最有效的毒素，它们一直是研究强效毒素的宝贵来源。这些毒素中的一些现在在临床上用于治疗人类疾病，如青霉素和环孢菌素A。对真菌毒素的基本了解对于确保新药的可用性以对抗细菌的耐药菌株并为合成治疗癌症的新药提供线索是重要的，这些药物也可以对目前使用的药物产生耐药性。

Fungi produce a variety of chemicals which are toxic to animals. The fungi have probably developed the ability to synthesize and secrete these toxins as part of a chemical defence mechanism and-or in order to limit other microbial life forms because of nutrient competition. Some of these toxins will selectively kill microbes such as bacteria and other fungi as well as simpler life forms such as viruses, which can cause pathological changes to human beings. Fungal toxins may also be useful for control of proliferative diseases such as cancer. Because fungi have had many millions of years to select for the most efficient toxins, they have been a valuable source of potent toxins for study. Some of these toxins are now in use clinically to treat human diseases ie penicillin and cyclosporin A. A fundamental understanding of fungal toxins is important to ensure the availability of new drugs to combat resistant strains of bacteria and to provide clues for the synthesis of new drugs to treat cancer which can also develop resistance to currently used drugs.