FUNGI-PRODUCERS OF BIOGENIC MAGNETIC NANOPARTICLES: PROSPECTS FOR USE IN NANOSYNTHESIS A. O. HUDZOVSKY, S. V. GOROBETS

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SSN 2410-7751 (Print)
ISSN 2410-776X (Online)
License CC-BY.
cover biotech acta general

Biotechnologia Acta V. 19, No. 5 2026
P. 42-56, Bibliography , Engl.
UDC 582.28:544.77:615.015
doi:

FUNGI-PRODUCERS OF BIOGENIC MAGNETIC NANOPARTICLES: PROSPECTS
FOR USE IN NANOSYNTHESIS

A. O. HUDZOVSKY (https://orcid.org/0009-0008-0284-5310)
S. V. GOROBETS (https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5328-2959)

National Technical University of Ukraine “Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute”

Biogenic magnetic nanoparticles (BMNs) — products of biologically controlled mineralization — have been detected in organisms from all three domains of life, indicating the existence of a single evolutionarily conserved genetic mechanism of their formation. Fungi of the divisions Ascomycota and Basidiomycota are part of this universal biological phenomenon: genomic analysis has confirmed the presence of homologs of essential magnetosome island proteins of magnetotactic bacteria in fungal genomes, while mycogenic BMNs combine magnetically responsive properties with natural biocompatibility, opening broad prospects in nanosynthesis and nanomedicine.

Aim. To systematize current data on fungi as BMN producers, to characterize the mechanisms of their synthesis, and to substantiate the prospects for practical applications in biotechnology and medicine.

Materials and Methods. Scientific publications indexed in PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus databases, primarily from the past twenty years, together with key historical works, were analyzed. Comparative analysis, systematization, and generalization of data on the taxonomic composition of producing fungi, molecular mechanisms of synthesis, and physicochemical properties of the obtained nanoparticles were applied.

Results. It was established that representatives of Ascomycota and Basidiomycota are capable of synthesizing a broad spectrum of nanoparticles — from iron oxides (Fe₃O₄, Fe₂O₃) to silver, gold, and other metallic particles. A key role in the properties of synthesis products is played by the “biocorona” — an organic coating of proteins and polysaccharides of the producer organism — which ensures colloidal stability, biocompatibility, and ease of functionalization of the nanoparticles. It was found that the vast majority of active fungal strains perform extracellular synthesis, which substantially simplifies product isolation.

Conclusions. Fungi are natural producers of BMNs whose biomineralization mechanism is evolutionarily conserved and genetically related to the corresponding mechanisms in prokaryotes. Mycogenic BMNs carry a natural “biocorona” that ensures biocompatibility and ease of functionalization without additional chemical manipulations, and represent promising multifunctional agents for targeted drug delivery, magnetic hyperthermia, MRI diagnostics, and antimicrobial and antitumor therapy.

Keywords: biogenic magnetic nanoparticles, fungal producers, biomineralization, mycogenic synthesis, biocorona, magnetosome island, Ascomycota, Basidiomycota, biocompatibility, targeted drug delivery.