In India, scientists at the TERI-Deakin Nano Biotechnology Centre in New Delhi are compiling data on the potential cosmeceutical applications of marine fungi.
“Improvements in our understanding of fungal physiology is necessary to successfully identify new substances from marine fungi for cosmeceuticals,” says TERI-Deakin Nano Biotechnology Centre researcher Dr. Sunil Deshmukh.
Several products based on marine organisms are already on the market, including cellulite-busting guam seaweed and algae-based antiaging products.
But while ocean fungi is in use in agriculture, it is just now breaking into cosmeceuticals. Two substances extracted from marine fungus Trichoderma sp. were recently shown to have antibiotic activity against acne-causing bacteria S. epidermidis. Marine fungi have also been shown to be active against oxidants, the main cause of skin aging.
Dr. Sunil Deshmukh, along with Dr. Shivankar Agrawal and Dr. Alok Adholeya from the TERI-Deakin Nano Biotechnology Centre and Dr. Colin J. Barrow of Deakin University (Victoria, Australia) published their marine fungi review in a recent issue of Phytochemistry Letters.