The fungus Aspergillus (A.) terreus has dominated the biological production of the “blockbuster” drugs known as statins. The statins are a class of drugs that inhibit HMG-CoA reductase and lead to lower cholesterol production. The statins were initially discovered in fungi and for many years fungi were the sole source for the statins. At present, novel chemically synthesised statins are produced as inspired by the naturally occurring statin molecules. The isolation of the natural statins, compactin, mevastatin and lovastatin from A. terreus represents one of the great achievements of industrial microbiology. Here we review the discovery of statins, along with strategies that have been applied to scale up their production by A. terreus strains. The strategies encompass many of the techniques available in industrial microbiology and include the optimization of media and fermentation conditions, the improvement of strains through classical mutagenesis, induced genetic manipulation and the use of statistical design.

A large-scale epidemiology study on statins previously showed that simvastatin was unique among statins in reducing the incidence of dementia. Since amyloid beta (Aβ42) is the protein that is most associated with Alzheimer’s disease, this study has focused on how simvastatin influences the turnover of native Aβ42 and Aβ42 fused with green fluorescent protein (GFP), in the simplest eukaryotic model organism, Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Previous studies have established that yeast constitutively producing Aβ42 fused to GFP offer a convenient means of analyzing yeast cellular responses to Aβ42. Young cells clear the GFP fusion protein and do not have green fluorescence while the older population of cells retains the fusion protein and exhibits green fluorescence, offering a fast and convenient means of studying factors that affect Aβ42 turnover. In this study the proportion of cells having GFP fused to Aβ after exposure to simvastatin, atorvastatin and lovastatin was analyzed by flow cytometry. Simvastatin effectively reduced levels of the cellular Aβ42 protein in a dose-dependent manner. Simvastatin promoted the greatest reduction as compared to the other two statins. A comparison with fluconazole, which targets that same pathway of ergosterol synthesis, suggests that effects on ergosterol synthesis do not account for the reduced amounts of Aβ42 fused to GFP. The levels of native Aβ42 following treated with simvastatin were also examined using a more laborious approach, quantitative MALDI TOF mass spectrometry. Simvastatin efficiently reduced levels of native Aβ42 from the population. This work indicates a novel action of simvastatin in reducing levels of Aβ42 providing new insights into how simvastatin exerts its neuroprotective role. We hypothesize that this reduction may be due to protein clearance.

Due to its ability to lower cholesterol levels, simvastatin is a leading drug for the prevention of strokes and heart disease: it also lowers the incidence of neurodegenerative diseases. Simvastatin is made from lovastatin, a precursor produced by the industrial fungus, Aspergillus terreus. In this study, Corymbia maculata leaves were tested as a novel substrate for the growth of a new isolate of A. terreus and a lovastatin-resistant strain of A. terreus to produce lovastatin. Corymbia maculata (spotted gum) is well utilized by forest industries as a source of timber because of its high strength, durability and smooth texture. However, the leaves are a major waste product. Growth of A. terreus on Corymbia maculata leaves, in solid-state fermentation resulted in the production of lovastatin. Fermentation of media using fresh leaves of Corymbia maculata produced more lovastatin (4.9 mg g⁻¹), than the sun-dried leaves (3.2 mg g⁻¹). Levels of lovastatin were further increased by the lovastatin-resistant strain of A. terreus (Lvs-r), which produced twice the amount of the parental strain. The production of lovastatin was confirmed by HPLC and LC–MS/MS studies. The study suggests that the utilization of a cheap substrate for the production of lovastatin can have a potential economic benefit.

The tomato leafminer (Tuta absoluta) is a globally invasive pest that causes severe yield losses in tomato crops. Nanotechnology-based strategies offer promising alternatives to conventional insecticides. This study examines the physiological, biochemical, and demographic responses of T. absoluta following exposure to mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) applied to tomato leaves at concentrations of 0, 3, 30, and 300 mg L⁻¹. Comprehensive assessments were conducted, including digestive and detoxifying enzyme activities in the insect, neurotoxicity indicators, life table parameters, and antioxidant responses in the host plant. At 30 mg L⁻¹, MSNs significantly impaired larval development, fecundity, and survival of T. absoluta without inducing phytotoxicity. Tomato plants treated at this concentration exhibited enhanced antioxidant enzyme activity (SOD, CAT, POD) and a reduced malondialdehyde (MDA) content, indicating an active oxidative defense. These plant responses were significantly correlated with changes in insect fitness traits, suggesting a plant-mediated effect on pest physiology. Digestive enzyme disruption, decreased acetylcholinesterase activity, and extended developmental periods contributed to suppressed population growth, as evidenced by reductions in the intrinsic rate of increase (r), net reproductive rate (R₀), and fecundity. At 300 mg L⁻¹, however, severe phytotoxicity and enzymatic collapse were observed in both plant and insect systems. These findings highlight moderate concentration of MSNs (30 mg L⁻¹) as a promising dose for sustainable and host-safe pest management, offering multi-targeted suppression of T. absoluta through combined plant and insect biochemical pathways.

Chemical management of the peach fly, Bactrocera zonata has been compromised due to adverse effects of pesticide residues that not only contaminate environment but also affect non-target organisms including beneficial insects, birds, aquatic life, and soil microorganisms. They can be impacted through direct exposure or by consuming contaminated prey or plants. The present study was designed keeping in view this increasing demand of the consumers to get pesticide residue free fruit and vegetable produce because it reflects the growing consumer concern for food safety and environmental sustainability, motivating the need for alternative pest management strategies. The field experiment was conducted to determine the best slow-release formulation prepared by mixing the following five different types of waxes, including Candelilla wax (CanW), Paraffin wax (PW), Carnauba wax (CarW), Lanolin wax (LW) and Bees wax (BW) with methyl eugenol (ME) (to attract male B. zonata). The selection of the five different types of waxes was likely based on their biodegradability, availability, and potential for slow-release properties. The result revealed that formulations containing SRF-7[LW], SRF-9[CanW], SRF-8[BW], SRF-9[CarW] and SRF-9[PW] exhibited the maximum capture of 42.10 ± 8.14, 43.30 ± 1.76, 34.30 ± 2.96, 35.30 ± 3.18 and 22.70 ± 3.18 male B. zonata per trap per day, respectively. These effective formulations were further evaluated in experiment in which the comparative trapping efficiency of each wax formulation was assessed. The results demonstrated that formulation containing SRF-9[CanW] was expressed maximum capture 13.77 ± 1.26 male B. zonata per trap per day. These formulations were further evaluated in another experiment in which the trapping efficiency was assessed by four different application methods (simple bottle trap, simple bottle trap with water, yellow sticky trap and jute piece with sticky material). The results demonstrated that formulation containing SRF-9[CarW] applied by yellow sticky trap (YST) trapped 61.74 + 7.69 male B. zonata per trap per day and proved more effective. This formulation can be recommended for trapping and management of male population of B. zonata in fruit orchards. This study can influence eco-friendly B. zonata pest control policies, reducing chemical pesticide usage and promoting agricultural sustainability. Future research should study the long-term impact of slow-release formulations on agricultural sustainability, including pest control, crop yield, and agroecosystem health.