ReviewRSC advances2026
Fungal melanin as a bioactive biopolymer: structural diversity, oxidative stress modulation, anticancer mechanisms, and therapeutic perspectives.
Review in RSC advances, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
2 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Fungal melanin is a multifunctional biopolymer platform with significant potential in oxidative stress modulation and cancer therapy. This review presents an integrated structure-property-activity framework to examine how biosynthetic pathways, precursor chemistry, functional group composition, oxidation state, molecular/particle characteristics, and extraction procedures influence the biological performance of fungal melanins. Key biosynthetic routes, including DOPA-eumelanin, DOPA-pheomelanin, DHN-melanin, pyomelanin, and minor pathways, are detailed alongside recent developments in extraction and purification technologies. The review critically evaluates the chemical and cellular mechanisms underlying free radical scavenging, electron transfer, redox buffering, metal-ion chelation, mitochondrial protection, and redox-sensitive signaling pathway regulation. Furthermore, it addresses the context-dependent interplay between antioxidant and anticancer activities, distinguishing established experimental findings from proposed mechanisms. Applications in photothermal therapy, drug delivery, combination approaches, and immunomodulation are highlighted. By addressing key experimental variables, research gaps, and translational challenges, this review provides crucial insights for standardizing fungal melanin production and advancing its clinical development.
Identifiers
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.