Abstract
The emergence of antibiotic resistance and viruses with high epidemic potential made unexplored marine environments an appealing target source for new metabolites. Marine fungi represent one of the most suitable sources for the discovery of new compounds. Thus, the aim of this work was (i) to isolate and identify fungi associated with the Atlantic sponge Grantia compressa; (ii) to study the fungal metabolites by applying the OSMAC approach (one strain; many compounds); (iii) to test fungal compounds for their antimicrobial activities. Twenty-one fungal strains (17 taxa) were isolated from G. compressa. The OSMAC approach revealed an astonishing metabolic diversity in the marine fungus Eurotium chevalieri MUT 2316, from which 10 compounds were extracted, isolated, and characterized. All metabolites were tested against viruses and bacteria (reference and multidrug-resistant strains). Dihydroauroglaucin completely inhibited the replication of influenza A virus; as for herpes simplex virus 1, total inhibition of replication was observed for both physcion and neoechinulin D. Six out of 10 compounds were active against Gram-positive bacteria with isodihydroauroglaucin being the most promising compound (minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) 4–64 µg/mL) with bactericidal activity. Overall, G. compressa proved to be an outstanding source of fungal diversity. Marine fungi were capable of producing different metabolites; in particular, the compounds isolated from E. chevalieri showed promising bioactivity against well-known and emerging pathogens.
Highlights
In the last few decades, antibiotic resistance significantly increased, while the discovery of new molecules suitable for the therapy of infectious diseases slowed down [1]; finding new antimicrobial compounds became a priority
The aim of this study was to (i) investigate for the first time the culturable fungal community associated with the Atlantic sponge Grantia compressa (Grantiidae, Leucosolenida); (ii) induce metabolite production by applying the OSMAC approach; (iii) characterize the promising marine sponge-associated fungus Eurotium chevalieri Mycotheca Universitatis Taurinensis (MUT) 2316; and (iv) assess the antimicrobial potential of the isolated metabolites
In this study, we highlighted the high biodiversity of marine-derived fungi inhabiting the Atlantic sponge G. compressa, and the chemodiversity and biotechnological potential of the fungal strain E. chevalieri MUT 2316
Summary
In the last few decades, antibiotic resistance significantly increased, while the discovery of new molecules suitable for the therapy of infectious diseases slowed down [1]; finding new antimicrobial compounds became a priority. The number of new compounds of marine origin is remarkably high, e.g., in 2016 alone, 1277 new natural products with promising biomedical applications were described. In this regard, marine fungi were responsible for producing 36% of these newly described compounds [3]. With regard to ease of production of compounds of interest, fungi are attractive sources of natural products when compared to macroorganisms. Many marine fungi can be cultivated to achieve a high yield of secondary metabolites, representing a sustainable alternative to chemical synthesis [4]
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