Anticancer natural products derived from fungi: A review of promising lead compounds.

Fungal-derived natural products, with their structural diversity and broad biological activity, hold great potential in drug discovery and biomedical research. This systematic review summarizes the research progress on fungal-derived bioactive natural products from 2020 to 2025, covering major structural types such as polyketides, alkaloids, terpenoids, steroids and phenolics. We systematically discuss their chemical diversity, biological activities, mechanisms of action, structure-activity relationships, as well as key translational challenges in the field, aiming to provide research insights for further exploration of fungal resources and the development of novel drugs.