Pleurotus ostreatus
Several anti-infective medications have been derived from fungi including penicillin and the cephalosporins (antibacterial drugs from "Penicillium chrysogenum" and "Cephalosporium acremonium", respectively) and griseofulvin (an antifungal drug from "Penicillium griseofulvum"). Other medicinally useful fungal metabolites include lovastatin (from "Pleurotus ostreatus"), which became a lead for a series of drugs that lower cholesterol levels, cyclosporin (from "Tolypocladium inflatum"), which is used to suppress the immune response after organ transplant operations, and ergometrine (from "Claviceps" spp.), which acts as a vasoconstrictor, and is used to prevent bleeding after childbirth. Asperlicin (from "Aspergillus alliaceus") is another example. Asperlicin is a novel antagonist of cholecystokinin, a neurotransmitter thought to be involved in panic attacks, and could potentially be used to treat anxiety.