Pharmacognosy Microbial Pharmacognosy

Microbial sources of drugs (Antibiotics, Enzymes, Vitamins)

Topic overview

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Industrial fermentation uses microorganisms to produce a range of pharmaceutical products. Antibiotic examples include penicillin from Penicillium chrysogenum, cephalosporin C from Acremonium chrysogenum, and several antibiotics from Streptomyces species. Bacillus species are associated with peptide antibiotics such as polymyxin B and bacitracin. Microbial fermentation also supplies enzymes, including proteases, amylases, and lipases; examples include glucose oxidase and pectinase from Aspergillus niger, and α-amylase from Aspergillus oryzae. For vitamins, Propionibacterium shermanii and Pseudomonas denitrificans are sources of vitamin B12, while Ashbya gossypii and Candida utilis produce riboflavin. These examples illustrate the breadth of microbial contributions to drug and ingredient production.

Learning objectives

What you'll learn

  • Identify major microbial groups used in industrial pharmacognosy.
  • Match selected microorganisms with the antibiotics they produce.
  • Recognize microbial sources of industrial and therapeutic enzymes.
  • Describe microbial sources of vitamin B12 and riboflavin.
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