Abstract
Antibacterial and antifungal activities of 32 organic and 14 peptidic extracts obtained from twelve endophytic fungi of the Collection of Endophytes Quito-Catolica were tested against the pathogenic bacteria Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Serratia marcescens, Escherichia coli and Salmonella enteritidis, and against the fungal oomycete Pythium ultimum. It was observed that the extracts of Marasmiellus candidus (CEQCA-O1113), Xylaria laevis (CEQCA-O1399), Fusarium solani (CEQCA-O1393), Diaporthe helianthi (CEQCA-O1394) and Xylaria sp. (CEQCA-O1400) partially or totally inhibited the microorganisms tested. The extracts CEQCA-O1399.P1 and CEQCA-O1113.D1 showed fungistatic and fungicidal effects against P. ultimum, respectively. Six extracts strongly inhibited S. aureus, and E. coli was strongly inhibited by the extract CEQCA-O1113.E2. Based on a bioassay-guided approach, the extracts with strong bioactivity in the antibacterial assays by an agar diffusion method were also tested by a disk diffusion method, and the minimal inhibitory concentrations were determined by a microdilution assay. The most bioactive extract, CEQCA-O1113.D1, was also purified by high performance liquid chromatography. The extract recovered its initial bioactivity against S. aureus in two fractions after the purification. Overall, the results of this study highlight the potential of the fungal endophytes as producers of bioactive compounds.
Highlights
The ability of the microorganisms to synthesize a variety of compounds has attracted the attention of researchers to bioprospecting for natural products in bacteria, fungi and actinomycetes [1]
Antibacterial and antifungal activities of 32 organic and 14 peptidic extracts obtained from twelve endophytic fungi of the Collection of Endophytes Quito-Catolica were tested against the pathogenic bacteria Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Serratia marcescens, Escherichia coli and Salmonella enteritidis, and against the fungal oomycete Pythium ultimum
It was observed that the extracts of Marasmiellus candidus (CEQCA-O1113), Xylaria laevis (CEQCA-O1399), Fusarium solani (CEQCA-O1393), Diaporthe helianthi (CEQCA-O1394) and Xylaria sp. (CEQCA-O1400) partially or totally inhibited the microorganisms tested
Summary
The ability of the microorganisms to synthesize a variety of compounds has attracted the attention of researchers to bioprospecting for natural products in bacteria, fungi and actinomycetes [1] Current challenges such as emerging antibiotic-resistant bacteria, environmental degradation, severe fungal infections and the lack of treatment for diseases such as neglected tropical diseases and cancer could be overcome by compounds produced by microorganisms [2] [3] [4]. The Amazonian forest in particular is touted as potentially the largest drug dispensary in the world [7] [10] This potential of the Ecuadorian plants to host interesting fungal endophytes with diverse biotechnological applications inspired the creation of the Collection of Endophytes Quito-Catolica, CEQCA by its acronym. The Collection counts with around 4000 endophytic fungi isolated from plants collected in tropical rainforests, lowlands, and Andean ecosystems
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