Screening Fungal Endophytes Derived from Under-Explored Egyptian Marine Habitats for Antimicrobial and Antioxidant Properties in Factionalised Textiles.

Ahmed A Hamed,Subha Arjunan,M Mallique Qader,Basma M Eid,Mohamed S Abdel-Aziz,Manal Eshelli,Federica Casolari,Rainer Ebel,Kevin Jace Miranda,Mostafa E Rateb,Lenka Luptakova,Oluwatofunmilay A Diyaolu,Lassaad Belbahri,Mosad A Ghareeb,Sylvia Soldatou,Nabil A Ibrahim,Bathini Thissera,Coralie Pavesi

doi:10.3390/microorganisms8101617

Abstract

Marine endophytic fungi from under-explored locations are a promising source for the discovery of new bioactivities. Different endophytic fungi were isolated from plants and marine organisms collected from Wadi El-Natrun saline lakes and the Red Sea near Hurghada, Egypt. The isolated strains were grown on three different media, and their ethyl acetate crude extracts were evaluated for their antimicrobial activity against a panel of pathogenic bacteria and fungi as well as their antioxidant properties. Results showed that most of the 32 fungal isolates initially obtained possessed antimicrobial and antioxidant activities. The most potent antimicrobial extracts were applied to three different cellulose containing fabrics to add new multifunctional properties such as ultraviolet protection and antimicrobial functionality. For textile safety, the toxicity profile of the selected fungal extract was evaluated on human fibroblasts. The 21 strains displaying bioactivity were identified on molecular basis and selected for chemical screening and dereplication, which was carried out by analysis of the MS/MS data using the Global Natural Products Social Molecular Networking (GNPS) platform. The obtained molecular network revealed molecular families of compounds commonly produced by fungal strains, and in combination with manual dereplication, further previously reported metabolites were identified as well as potentially new derivatives.

Highlights

The emergence of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is one of the current global health challenges, and it refers to the ability of microorganisms to stop the action of antimicrobial agents, thereby increasing the prevalence and the associated risks of infections by pathogenic bacteria, fungi, viruses, and parasites [1]
In late 2017, we initiated a collaborative project between Egypt and the UK aiming at the isolation of new endophytic fungal strains from under-explored marine habitats in different locations in Egypt to be screened for their antimicrobial effects, with the ultimate aim of incorporating their bioactive extracts or metabolites in textiles used in Egyptian hospitals to reduce nosocomial infections
Small scale fermentation of the isolated fungal strains was carried out on solid rice medium, and the resulting extracts were subjected to biological screening for anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, and antioxidant activities

Summary

Introduction

The emergence of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is one of the current global health challenges, and it refers to the ability of microorganisms to stop the action of antimicrobial agents, thereby increasing the prevalence and the associated risks of infections by pathogenic bacteria, fungi, viruses, and parasites [1]. Several reports highlighted the potential dangers of AMR to global public health and economics. One of these reports estimated that, if the current rate of continuous increase of AMR should prevail, 300 million people are expected to die prematurely over the 35 years [2]. This report predicted that, by 2050, the world will lose between 60 and 100 trillion USD if no action is taken toward AMR In developing countries such as Egypt, the continuous misuse and overuse of antibiotics without prescription and medical supervision play a significant role in the development of antimicrobial resistance, especially in hospital-acquired infections [3]. Textiles under appropriate temperature and moisture conditions are an excellent substrate for microbial growth. Studies hypothesize that the use of antimicrobial textiles may significantly reduce the risk of nosocomial infections [4]

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