Abstract: The use of Monascus has a history of over 1 000 years in China and it is commonly used for making red yeast rice and fermented bean curd. Its metabolites demonstrate broad application potential in the fields of food, health products and medicine. This review summarizes recent advances in research on the metabolites of Monascus in terms of their antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, lipid-lowering, blood glucose-lowering, and blood pressure-lowering effects. Studies indicate that Monascus metabolites contain various functional components, such as Monascus pigments, monacolin K and γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA), which exhibit their biological activities through multiple mechanisms. Some Monascus pigments have antibacterial properties, monacolin K is an ideal lipid-lowering agent, and GABA shows a significant blood pressure-lowering effect. Additionally, Monascus metabolites demonstrate good anti-inflammatory activity and blood glucose-lowering effects, and show significant anti-inflammatory effects in inflammation models. In conclusion, Monascus metabolites have broad application prospects, but further research is needed to elucidate the mechanism of their health benefits. This review will promote their development and application in the food, health and medical fields.

Key words: Monascus metabolites; antibacterial effect; anti-inflammatory effect; blood lipid-lowering effect; blood sugar-lowering effect; blood pressure-lowering effect

摘要： 红曲霉在我国已有1?000多年使用历史，常用于制作红曲米和红曲腐乳等食品，其代谢产物在食品、保健及医疗领域展现出广泛应用潜力。本文综述近年来红曲霉代谢产物在抗菌、抗炎、降血脂、降血糖、降血压方面的研究进展。研究表明，红曲霉代谢产物中含有多种功能成分，如红曲色素、莫纳可林K、γ-氨基丁酸等，这些成分通过多种机制发挥其生物活性。部分红曲色素具有抗菌性，莫纳可林K是理想的降脂药物，γ-氨基丁酸则在降血压方面表现出显著效果。此外，红曲霉代谢产物还展示了良好的抗炎活性及降血糖功能，能够在炎症模型中发挥显著的抗炎作用。综上所述，红曲霉代谢产物具有广泛的应用前景，但其功效性机制仍需进一步深入研究，以推动其在食品、保健和医药领域的开发与应用。

关键词: 红曲霉代谢产物；抗菌性；抗炎性；降血脂；降血糖；降血压