Gliotoxin

Gliotoxin, a toxic epipolythiodioxopiperazine metabolite, has been shown to be an immunosuppressive mycotoxin. This agent displays a capacity to induce macrophagocytic, thymocytic, splenocytic, and mesenteric lymph node cell apoptosis and inhibit transcription factor NF-κB activation. Mechanistic studies suggest that this inhibition is done via a suppression of proteasome-mediated degradation of IκB-α. Additional research reports that Gliotoxin is capable of down-regulating inflammation and suppressing TNFα IL-1α and mRNA expression. Gliotoxin is an inhibitor of Farnesyl Transferase and GGTase. Gliotoxin is an inhibitor of 20S Proteasome. Gliotoxin exhibits inhibitory activities against histone H3K9 methyltransferase, a key enzyme in the regulation of transcriptional activity by writing epigenetic marks.