Golden chanterelles (Cantharellus cibarius) contain various metabolites, usually secondary metabolites or in other words products of the primary and secondary metabolic pathways not directly needed for survival and reproduction. Several attempts at cultivating the fungi C. cibarius in controlled laboratory conditions have been attempted. Mycelium growth on petri dishes and frutification on young, symbiotic plant partners are both recorded, but attempts at repeating the findings have been unsuccessfull. The goal of this bachelor thesis was to create a short summary of the overview regarding secondary metabolites of C. cibarius and give commentary on the collected literature regarding the effects of metabolites on various cell cultures both bacterial and mammalian. Studies consider many structurally diverse substances to be secondary metabolites, such as uncommon polysacharides, polyphenols, sterols, non-ribosomal peptides, pigments, terpenoids, polyketides and indole compunds. These metabolites, polysaccharides and phenolic compounds especially, present interesting effects when exposed to various kinds of bacterial and mamalian cell cultures. The metabolites show antimicrobial effects on bacteria and antikarcinogenic, cytotoxic, antioxidant and regenerative effects among others. The effects of certain metabolites of the golden chanterelle are sometimes similar to the effects of registered drugs. The siRNA of C. cibarius is also intriguing, as its effects appear similar to those of secondary metabolites of the chanterelle, such as polysaccharides and polyphenols. Studies usually use polar and nonpolar solvents to achieve sucessfull extraction of metabolites belonging to C. cibarius. Bacterial and mammalian cell cultures are then exposed to the extracts of the chanterelle at various concentrations and the cellular responses are observed. The results of such studies are certainly intriguing but clinical studies are required to show more accurate traits of the C. cibarius metabolites and to shed further light on their possible applications.
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