Abstract

Bioluminescence has a great popular appeal for its potential applications. Bioluminescence of fungi was recently researched in the world. In this study, we collected bioluminescent fungi in the tropical forest in the Southeast of Vietnam and identified it taxonomically in the name Omphalotus sp whose characteristics are very different from those of others. In this connection, the purpose of this research is to cultivate to isolate metabolites from this mushroom and examine its anticancer property. Special attention was paid to the different activities of metabolites and the attempts made to use them in medicinal chemistry. Fungi are of special interest because like us, they are eucaryotes and our metabolism is more related to theirs than to that of the procaryotic bacteria. Therefore, a number of metabolites were isolated from fungi which found their way into medical applications as natural products, starting material for pharmaceuticals or as lead structures for the development of pharmaceutical products.