Antimicrobial activities of endophytic fungi of the Sri Lankan aquatic plant Nymphaea nouchali and chaetoglobosin A and C, produced by the endophytic fungus Chaetomium globosum

Antimicrobials from endophytes as novel therapeutics to counter drug-resistant pathogens

The rapid increase in antimicrobial resistance (AMR) projects a "global emergency" and necessitates a need to discover alternative resources for combating drug-resistant pathogens or "superbugs." One of the key themes in "One Health Concept" is based on the fact that the interconnected network of humans, the environment, and animal habitats majorly contribute to the rapid selection and spread of AMR. Moreover, the injudicious and overuse of antibiotics in healthcare, the environment, and associated disciplines, further aggravates the concern. The prevalence and persistence of AMR contribute to the global economic burden and are constantly witnessing an upsurge due to fewer therapeutic options, rising mortality statistics, and expensive healthcare. The present decade has witnessed the extensive exploration and utilization of bio-based resources in harnessing antibiotics of potential efficacies. The discovery and characterization of diverse chemical entities from endophytes as potent antimicrobials define an important yet less-explored area in natural product-mediated drug discovery. Endophytes-produced antimicrobials show potent efficacies in targeting microbial pathogens and synthetic biology (SB) mediated engineering of endophytes for yield enhancement, forms a prospective area of research. In keeping with the urgent requirements for new/novel antibiotics and growing concerns about pathogenic microbes and AMR, this paper comprehensively reviews emerging trends, prospects, and challenges of antimicrobials from endophytes and their effective production via SB. This literature review would serve as the platform for further exploration of novel bioactive entities from biological organisms as "novel therapeutics" to address AMR.

Steroid Components of Marine-Derived Fungal Strain Penicillium levitum N33.2 and Their Biological Activities

Genus Penicillium comprising the most important and extensively studied fungi has been well-known as a rich source of secondary metabolites. Our study aimed to analyze and investigate biological activities, including in vitro anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory and anti-diabetic properties, of metabolites from a marine-derived fungus belonging to P. levitum. The chemical compounds in the culture broth of P. levitum strain N33.2 were extracted with ethyl acetate. Followingly, chemical analysis of the extract leaded to the isolation of three ergostane-type steroid components, namely cerevisterol (1), ergosterol peroxide (2), and (3β,5α,22E)-ergosta-6,8(14),22-triene-3,5-diol (3). Among these, (3) was the most potent cytotoxic against human cancer cell lines Hep-G2, A549 and MCF-7 with IC50 values of 2.89, 18.51, and 16.47 µg/mL, respectively, while the compound (1) showed no significant effect against tested cancer cells. Anti-inflammatory properties of purified compounds were evaluated based on NO-production in LPS-induced murine RAW264.7 macrophages. As a result, tested compounds performed diverse inhibitory effects on NO production by the macrophages, with the most significant inhibition rate of 81.37 ± 1.35% at 25 µg/mL by the compound (2). Interestingly, compounds (2) and (3) exhibited inhibitory activities against pancreatic lipase and α-glucosidase enzymes in vitro assays. Our study brought out new data concerning the chemical properties and biological activities of isolated steroids from a P. levitum fungus.

Recent Advances in Using Natural Antibacterial Additives in Bioactive Wound Dressings

Wound care is a global health issue with a financial burden of up to US $96.8 billion annually in the USA alone. Chronic non-healing wounds which show delayed and incomplete healing are especially problematic. Although there are more than 3000 dressing types in the wound management market, new developments in more efficient wound dressings will require innovative approaches such as embedding antibacterial additives into wound-dressing materials. The lack of novel antibacterial agents and the misuse of current antibiotics have caused an increase in antimicrobial resistance (AMR) which is estimated to cause 10 million deaths by 2050 worldwide. These ongoing challenges clearly indicate an urgent need for developing new antibacterial additives in wound dressings targeting microbial pathogens. Natural products and their derivatives have long been a significant source of pharmaceuticals against AMR. Scrutinising the data of newly approved drugs has identified plants as one of the biggest and most important sources in the development of novel antibacterial drugs. Some of the plant-based antibacterial additives, such as essential oils and plant extracts, have been previously used in wound dressings; however, there is another source of plant-derived antibacterial additives, i.e., those produced by symbiotic endophytic fungi, that show great potential in wound dressing applications. Endophytes represent a novel, natural, and sustainable source of bioactive compounds for therapeutic applications, including as efficient antibacterial additives for chronic wound dressings. This review examines and appraises recent developments in bioactive wound dressings that incorporate natural products as antibacterial agents as well as advances in endophyte research that show great potential in treating chronic wounds.

Antimicrobial potentials of natural products against multidrug resistance pathogens: a comprehensive review

Antibiotic resistance is one of the critical issues, describing a significant social health complication globally. Hence, the discovery of novel antibiotics has acquired an increased attention particularly against drug-resistant pathogens. Natural products have served as potent therapeutics against pathogenic bacteria since the glorious age of antibiotics of the mid 20th century. This review outlines the various mechanistic candidates for dealing with multi-drug resistant pathogens and explores the terrestrial phytochemicals isolated from plants, lichens, insects, animals, fungi, bacteria, mushrooms, and minerals with reported antimicrobial activity, either alone or in combination with conventional antibiotics. Moreover, newly established tools are presented, including prebiotics, probiotics, synbiotics, bacteriophages, nanoparticles, and bacteriocins, supporting the progress of effective antibiotics to address the emergence of antibiotic-resistant infectious bacteria. Therefore, the current article may uncover promising drug candidates that can be used in drug discovery in the future.

Fungal Endophytes: A Potential Source of Antibacterial Compounds

Antibiotic resistance is becoming a burning issue due to the frequent use of antibiotics for curing common bacterial infections, indicating that we are running out of effective antibiotics. This has been more obvious during recent corona pandemics. Similarly, enhancement of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is strengthening the pathogenicity and virulence of infectious microbes. Endophytes have shown expression of various new many bioactive compounds with significant biological activities. Specifically, in endophytic fungi, bioactive metabolites with unique skeletons have been identified which could be helpful in the prevention of increasing antimicrobial resistance. The major classes of metabolites reported include anthraquinone, sesquiterpenoid, chromone, xanthone, phenols, quinones, quinolone, piperazine, coumarins and cyclic peptides. In the present review, we reported 451 bioactive metabolites isolated from various groups of endophytic fungi from January 2015 to April 2021 along with their antibacterial profiling, chemical structures and mode of action. In addition, we also discussed various methods including epigenetic modifications, co-culture, and OSMAC to induce silent gene clusters for the production of noble bioactive compounds in endophytic fungi.

Bioactive Properties and Metabolite Profiles of Endolichenic Fungi in Mangrove Ecosystem of Negombo Lagoon, Sri Lanka

Endolichenic fungi (ELF) serve as a novel source of natural products with distinctive bioactivities. A total of 58 ELF isolated from 29 lichens collected from mangrove and mangrove-associated plants of Negombo lagoon, Sri Lanka were identified using morphological and DNA barcoding techniques. Ethyl acetate extracts of 18 such identified ELF isolates were subjected to in vitro assays to determine antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, tyrosinase inhibitory and antibacterial potency. Liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC–MS) dereplication was conducted on the crude extracts in order to detect the secondary metabolites present. The extracts of Daldinia eschscholtzii and Hypoxylon lividipigmentum had the highest radical scavenging activity with SC50 values 14.27 ± 0.24 µg/mL and 18.34 ± 1.37 µg/mL, respectively. D. eschscholtzii also exhibited remarkable anti-inflammatory activity (IC50 7.97 ± 0.09 µg/mL). Tyrosinase inhibitory activity was highest in Cytospora xylocarpi (IC50 68.50 ± 0.34 µg/mL), while the highest activity against aerobic bacterial species Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus and the anaerobic bacterial strain Streptococcus mutans was observed in the extracts of Xylaria feegenesis and Curvularia lunata. After a thorough study of the LC–MS profiles, it was found that the chemical profiles of Neofusicoccum occulatum, H. lividipigmentum and Myramaececium rubricosum were previously poorly explored in the literature.

Chaetomium and Chaetomium-like Species from European Indoor Environments Include Dichotomopilus finlandicus sp. nov

The genus Chaetomium is a frequently occurring fungal taxon world-wide. Chaetomium and Chaetomium-like species occur in indoor environments, where they can degrade cellulose-based building materials, thereby causing structural damage. Furthermore, several species of this genus may also cause adverse effects on human health. The aims of this research were to identify Chaetomium and Chaetomium-like strains isolated from indoor environments in Hungary and Finland, two geographically distant regions of Europe with drier and wetter continental climates, respectively, and to study their morphological and physiological properties, as well as their extracellular enzyme activities, thereby comparing the Chaetomium and Chaetomium-like species isolated from these two different regions of Europe and their properties. Chaetomium and Chaetomium-like strains were isolated from flats and offices in Hungary, as well as from schools, flats, and offices in Finland. Fragments of the translation elongation factor 1α (tef1α), the second largest subunit of RNA polymerase II (rpb2) and β-tubulin (tub2) genes, as well as the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region of the ribosomal RNA gene cluster were sequenced, and phylogenetic analysis of the sequences performed. Morphological examinations were performed by stereomicroscopy and scanning electron microscopy. Thirty-one Chaetomium sp. strains (15 from Hungary and 16 from Finland) were examined during the study. The most abundant species was Ch. globosum in both countries. In Hungary, 13 strains were identified as Ch. globosum, 1 as Ch. cochliodes, and 1 as Ch. interruptum. In Finland, 10 strains were Ch. globosum, 2 strains were Ch. cochliodes, 2 were Ch. rectangulare, and 2 isolates (SZMC 26527, SZMC 26529) proved to be representatives of a yet undescribed phylogenetic species from the closely related genus Dichotomopilus, which we formally describe here as the new species Dichotomopilus finlandicus. Growth of the isolates was examined at different temperatures (4, 15, 20, 25, 30, 37, 35, 40, and 45 °C), while their extracellular enzyme production was determined spectrophotometrically.

Evaluation of the stability and antibacterial activity of crude extracts of hydro-endophytic fungi

The production and screening of secondary metabolites of four hydro-endophytes isolated from lotus, and the stability of bioactive compounds was evaluated. Surface-sterilized technique was used to isolate the endophytic fungi (EF) on potato dextrose agar and identified by using morphological and molecular techniques. The extracts were tested for anti-microbial activity against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) DMST20651, Streptococcus mutans (SM) DMST18777, Staphylococcus epidermidis (SE) ATCC12228, Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA) TISTR1467, and Propionibacterium acnes (PN) DMST14916. The bacteriostatic and bactericidal activities were determined. Finally, thermal and ultraviolet (UV) stability was evaluated. Four endophyte isolates (EF 14, EF36, EF53, EF58, and EF60) produced secondary metabolites and showed activity against MRSA, SM, SE, PA, and PN, respectively. The crude ethyl acetate (EtOAc) and methanol (MeOH) extract of EF14 showed activity against MRSA with the inhibition zone of 9.00 ± 0.00 and 7.50 ± 0.50 mm, and minimum inhibitory concentration was 4.80 and 4.90 mg/mL, respectively. The minimum bactericidal concentration was 9.60 mg/mL. Whereas, the crude EtOAc and MeOH extract EF60, which were extracted by EtOAc and MeOH, showed inhibition zone of SE as 12.33 ± 0.57 and 12.33 ± 0.57 mm, respectively. Crude EtOAC extracts of EF14 showed highest thermal stability at 55°C-121°C, and UV stability with MRSA and SE, respectively. The results showed that the EtOAc extracts of EF could be potential antibacterial pathogens and displayed UV-thermal stability. This information is beneficial for future investigations, since some bioactive compounds have potential as anti-resistant strains of some bacterial pathogens.

Prospecting the antimicrobial and antibiofilm potential of Chaetomium globosum an endophytic fungus from Moringa oleifera

The current study prospects the antimicrobial potential of an endophytic fungus Chaetomium globosum which showed a wide spectrum antimicrobial activity against the tested pathogenic microorganisms. This is apparently the first report where Chaetomium globosum as an endophyte from Moringa oleifera showed antimicrobial potential and is optimized for physiochemical parameters to enhance the antimicrobial metabolites production. In the classical optimization yeast peptone dextrose medium, inoculum size of two discs, incubation period of 6 days, production temperature of 25 ºC and pH 7 was best supportive for optimal growth and antimicrobial activity whereas maltose and ammonium nitrate were the best carbon and nitrogen sources, respectively. The statistical optimization resulted in up to 1.33 fold increase in antimicrobial activity. Chloroform was found to be the best extractant. The chloroformic extract showed minimum inhibitory concentration ranging from 0.05 to 5 mg/ml and its microbicidal nature was established by viable cell count studies. The efficacy of the extract was also established in terms of post antibiotic effect which ranged from 2 to 20 h. The chloroformic extract exhibited the good antibiofilm potential and was also found to be biosafe. The clinical relevance of the study was justified as it showed good antimicrobial efficacy against some resistant clinical isolates, too.

Chemical evaluation and antibacterial activity of novel bioactive compounds from endophytic fungi in Nelumbo nucifera

The objective of this study was to characterize an endophytic fungi producing-bioactive compound from the aquatic plant, Nelumbo nucifera. All parts of such plant were cleaned with surface sterilization technique and cultured on potato dextrose agar to isolate endophytic fungi. The identification was characterized by morphological and molecular technique. Fungal isolates were screened to discover antimicrobial activities by disc diffusion method against Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus DMST20651 (MRSA). MIC and MBC for those crude fungal extracts were determined. Finally, the chemical profile of crude extract was determined by gas chromatography and mass spectrometry. Six endophytic fungi were isolated from the surface-satirized parts of N. nucifera. Based on disc diffusion assay, the highest antibacterial activity against MRSA was isolate ST9.1 identified as Aspergillus cejpii. Results demonstrated that the ethyl acetate extraction had more active fractions with MIC of 2.5 mg/ml and MBC concentration of 50.0 mg/ml. The crude extracts were developed to identify the chemical constituents by gas chromatography and mass spectrometry. The major component of crude extract of endophytic fungi was 5-(1H-Indol-3-yl)-4,5-dihydro-[1,2,4]triazin-3-ylamine (C₁₁H₁₁N₅). Thus, the plant could be used in the treatment of infectious diseases caused by bacterial pathogen.

Nematicidal metabolites from endophytic fungus Chaetomium globosum YSC5

Management of nematodes is a very hectic job due to a highly diverse group of organisms. To find lead compounds for new nematicide development, five metabolites (1-5) were isolated from the culture broth of Chaetomium globosum YSC5 and tested for nematicidal activities against the second stage juveniles (J2s) of Meloidogyne javanica. The results revealed that chaetoglobosin A (1), chaetoglobosin B (2) and flavipin (3) exhibited strong adverse effects (91.6, 83.8 and 87.4%, respectively) on J2 mortality at 200 μg/mL with LC50 values of 88.4, 107.7 and 99.2 μg/mL after 72 h, respectively, while 3-methoxyepicoccone (4) and 4,5,6-trihydroxy-7-methylphthalide (5) showed moderate effects (78.0 and 75.5%, respectively) with LC50 values of 124.0 and 131.6 μg/mL, respectively. Furthermore, in pot assay compounds 1 and 2 appeared to be promising metabolites at 200 μg/mL that significantly reduced nematode reproduction and showed a positive influence on plant growth. Our findings could be helpful for development of new potential bio-based pesticides for integrated management of plant-parasitic nematode.

Bioactivities and Future Perspectives of Chaetoglobosins

Chaetoglobosins belonging to cytochalasan alkaloids represent a large class of fungal secondary metabolites. To date, around 100 chaetoglobosins and their analogues have been isolated and identified over the years from a variety of fungi, mainly from the fungus Chaetomium globosum. Studies have found that chaetoglobosins possess a broad range of biological activities, including antitumor, antifungal, phytotoxic, fibrinolytic, antibacterial, nematicidal, anti-inflammatory, and anti-HIV activities. This review will comprehensively summarize the biological activities and mechanisms of action of nature-derived chaetoglobosins.

Antibiotics Development and the Potentials of Marine-Derived Compounds to Stem the Tide of Multidrug-Resistant Pathogenic Bacteria, Fungi, and Protozoa

As the search for new antibiotics continues, the resistance to known antimicrobial compounds continues to increase. Many researchers around the world, in response to antibiotics resistance, have continued to search for new antimicrobial compounds in different ecological niches such as the marine environment. Marine habitats are one of the known and promising sources for bioactive compounds with antimicrobial potentials against currently drug-resistant strains of pathogenic microorganisms. For more than a decade, numerous antimicrobial compounds have been discovered from marine environments, with many more antimicrobials still being discovered every year. So far, only very few compounds are in preclinical and clinical trials. Research in marine natural products has resulted in the isolation and identification of numerous diverse and novel chemical compounds with potency against even drug-resistant pathogens. Some of these compounds, which mainly came from marine bacteria and fungi, have been classified into alkaloids, lactones, phenols, quinones, tannins, terpenes, glycosides, halogenated, polyketides, xanthones, macrocycles, peptides, and fatty acids. All these are geared towards discovering and isolating unique compounds with therapeutic potential, especially against multidrug-resistant pathogenic microorganisms. In this review, we tried to summarize published articles from 2015 to 2019 on antimicrobial compounds isolated from marine sources, including some of their chemical structures and tests performed against drug-resistant pathogens.

Antimicrobial, anti-cancer, anti-filarial and anti-inflammatory activities of Cowabenzophenone A extracted from the endophytic fungus Aspergillus terreus isolated from a mangrove plant Bruguiera gymnorrhyza

Cowabenzophenone A was isolated from an endophytic fungus Aspergillus terreus isolated from a mangrove plant Bruguiera gymnorrhyza. The structure was determined by analysis of 1D and 2D NMR spectra and mass spectrometric data as a tetracyclo[7.3.3.33,11.03,7]tetradecane-2,12,14-trione skeleton. When the compound was tested in vitro for its ability to inhibit inflammations, α-glucosidase inhibitory activities and its antimicrobial properties, it showed an anti-inflammatory activity amounting to an IC50 of 12.1 µg/mL, α-glucosidase inhibitory activity, with IC50 values of 7.8 ± 0.5 μM, and antibacterial activity against Bacillus subtilis TISTR 088, and Bacillus cereus TISTR 688 with MIC values of 1 μg/mL and 2 μg/mL respectively. The compound showed cytotoxicity against HCT 116 colon cancer cell line with an IC50 value of 10.1 ?M, and also showed a considerably high potential towards anti-filarial activities by resulting MIC, IC50 and LC50 values of 0.358 ± 0.02 mg/mL, 0.708 ± 0.021 mg/mL and 3.89 ± 0.18 mg/mL, respectively, in comparison to the standard drug Ivermectin (IVM).

The study of antimicrobial, anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory and α-glucosidase inhibitory activities of Nigronapthaphenyl, isolated from an extract of Nigrospora sphaerica

A new compound, nigronapthaphenyl, was extracted from the endophytic fungus Nigrospora sphaerica isolated from a mangrove plant Bruguiera gymnorrhyza. The structure of the compound was elucidated by analysis of 1D and 2D NMR spectra and mass spectrometric data. It was tested in vitro for its antimicrobial activity, cytotoxicity, anti-inflammatory activity and for its ability to inhibit α-glucosidase. Nigronapthaphenyl showed antibacterial activities against Bacillus subtilis TISTR 088 and Bacillus cereus TISTR 688 with MIC values of 4 and 2 μg/mL respectively. Cytotoxicity against colon cancer cell line HCT 116 was found to be an IC50 value of 9.62 ± 0.5 μM . This further showed potential anti-inflammatory activity amounting to an IC50 of 6.2 ± 0.5 μM and also α-glucosidase inhibitory activity, with an IC50 value of 6.9 ± 0.5 μM.

Molecular profiling and bioactive potential of an endophytic fungus Aspergillus sulphureus isolated from Sida acuta: a medicinal plant

CONTEXT

Sida acuta Burm.f. (Malvaceae) extracts are reported to have applications against malaria, diuretic, antipyretic, nervous and urinary diseases. No fungal endophytes of S. acuta are reported.

OBJECTIVE

Isolation, identification and evaluation of antibacterial, antioxidant, anticancer and haemolytic potential of fungal endophytes from the ethnomedcinal plant S. acuta.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Sida acuta stem segments were placed on PDA medium to isolate endophytic fungi. The fungus was identified by genomic DNA analysis and phylogenetic tree was constructed using ITS sequences (GenBank) to confirm species. The antibacterial efficacy of Aspergillus sulphureus MME12 ethyl acetate extract was tested against Gram-positive and Gram-negative pathogenic bacteria. DPPH free radical scavenging activity, anticancer and DNA fragmentation against EAC cells, and direct haemolytic activity (100-500 μg/mL) using human erythrocytes were determined.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

The ethyl acetate extract of A. sulphureus (Fresen.) Wehmer (Trichocomaceae) demonstrated significant antibacterial potential against Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli and Salmonella typhi compared to streptomycin. MIC against test pathogens was in the range of 15.6-62.5 μg/mL. The antioxidant results revealed significant RSA from 12.43% to 62.02% (IC₅₀ = 350.4 μg/mL, p ≤ 0.05). MME12 offered considerable inhibition of EAC proliferation (23% to 84%, IC₅₀ = 216.7 μg/mL, p ≤ 0.05) supported by DNA fragmentation studies. The extract also offered insignificant haemolysis (5.6%) compared to Triton X-100.

CONCLUSIONS

A single endophytic fungus, A. sulphureus MME12 was isolated and identified using molecular profiling. The above-mentioned findings support the pharmacological application of A. sulphureus MME12 extract and demand for purification of the active principle(s).

Valorization of spent oyster mushroom substrate and laccase recovery through successive solid state cultivation of Pleurotus, Ganoderma, and Lentinula strains

Spent mushroom substrate (SMS) of Pleurotus ostreatus was supplemented with wheat bran and soybean flour in various proportions to obtain C/N ratios of 10, 20, and 30, and their effect was evaluated in successive cultivation of Pleurotus ostreatus, Pleurotus pulmonarius, Ganoderma adspersum, Ganoderma resinaceum, and Lentinula edodes strains with respect to mycelium growth rate, biomass concentration, recovery of the enzyme laccase and crude exopolysaccharides, and also with additional fruiting body production. All fungi showed the highest growth rate on unamended SMS (C/N 30), with G. resinaceum being the fastest colonizer (Kr = 9.84 mm day-1), while biomass concentration maximized at C/N 10. Moreover, supplementation affected positively laccase activity, with P. pulmonarius furnishing the highest value (44,363.22 U g-1) at C/N 20. On the contrary, L. edodes growth, fruiting, and laccase secretion were not favored by SMS supplementation. Fruiting body formation was promoted at C/N 30 for Ganoderma and at C/N 20 for Pleurotus species. Exopolysaccharide production of further studied Pleurotus strains was favored at a C/N 20 ratio, at the initial stage of SMS colonization. The obtained results support the potential effective utilization of supplemented SMS for laccase production from Ganoderma spp. and for new fruiting body production of Pleurotus spp.

Two new cytochalasan derivatives from Chaetomium globosum SNSHI-5, a fungus derived from extreme environment

Two new cytochalasan derivatives, isochaetoglobosin D_b (1) and cytoglobosin A_b (2), were isolated from an ethyl acetate extract of Chaetomium globosum SNSHI-5, a fungus derived from extreme environment. The structures of the new compounds were comprehensively characterized by HR-ESI-MS, ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR and 2D-NMR. Cytotoxic activity against H292 human lung cancer cell of the new compounds was tested. Isochaetoglobosin D_b (1) showed potent cytotoxicity with IC₅₀ of 3.5 μM, while cytoglobosin A_b was inactive (IC₅₀ > 10 μM).