Abstract
Endophytes of medicinal plants have the capacity to synthesis same or similar active substances with their hosts. To investigate the diversity and capacity to produce saponins of endophytic fungi of Panax ginseng, thirty-eight strains of were isolated. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and sequencing were used to identify the isolates, and saponins concentrations in the cultures were measured. Agar diffusion method was used to test antimicrobial activity. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was used to analyze ginsenosides produced by representative strains. Nectria, Aspergillus, Fusarium, Verticillium, Engyodontium, Plectosphaerella, Penicillium, Cladosporium, and Ascomycete species were isolated. Overall, 18.4% of the isolates belonged to Nectria (Nectria haematococca), 13.2% belonged to Aspergillus, and 10.5% belonged to Penicillium. The highest concentration of triterpenoid saponin was 0.181 mg/ml (Pg27), followed by 0.144 mg/ml (Pg30 and Pg42-1). According to the results of the phylogenetic results, these isolates were species of Fusarium, Aspergillus and Verticillium, respectively. The culture filtrate of Pg30 exhibited its antibacterial activity Staphylococcus aureus. Pg 27 and Pg30 could excrete the substances to inhibit the growth of Rhizoctonia solani. Pg42-1 showed strong inhibition against Klebsiella pneumoniae. From HPLC results, the ginsenoside Rb2 was detected in both Pg27 and Pg30 cultures. The ginsenoside Rc was found in Pg42-1 cultures. In conclusion, thirty-eight endophytic fungal strains were isolated and Pg27 (Fusarium sp.) has a potential application value in saponins production.
Highlights
Ginseng is one of the most famous medicinal plants in the Araliaceae, which occupies an important position in traditional Chinese medicine in China
To select the endophytes with the capacity of producing saponins, we investigated the diversity of the endophytic fungi in the roots of Panax ginseng cultivated in the forest of Northeast China
The most representative genera were Nectria, Aspergillus, and Penicillum: 18.4% belonged to Nectria, (Nectria haematococca), 13.2% belonged to Aspergillus, and 10.5% belonged to Penicillium
Summary
Ginseng is one of the most famous medicinal plants in the Araliaceae, which occupies an important position in traditional Chinese medicine in China. With the excessive and predatory exploitation, wild ginseng resources become scarce. Cultivated ginseng has gradually become the mainstream of the market. To develop the ginseng farming, deforestation reclaimed to new participants is necessary, because the humus in forest area is essential for ginseng cultivation. This deforestation has greatly broken the ecological balance and biodiversity in forest area. How to obtain medicinal ingredients from ginseng without damage to the environment has become a very important issue
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