Aspergillus Aculeatus Research Articles

Interrelationship Among Seed Quality Parameters and Fungi Associated with Seeds of Cotton (Gossypium Hirsutum L.)

A total of twenty nine species of fungi namely Aspergillus aculeatus Lizuka, A. flavus Link, A. fumigatus Fresenius, A. niger Van Tiegh, A. nidulans Eidam, A. subramanianii Visagie, Frisvad & Samson, A. tamariiKita G., A. toxicarius Murak, A. wentii Wehmer, Curvularial unata (Wakker) Boedijn, Colletotrichum gloeosporioides (Penz.) Sacc., C. gossypii Southw., Chaetomium globosum Kunze., Fusarium moniliforme J. Shelden, F. nivale (Fr.) Sorauer, F. oxysporum Schlechtendal, F. fujikuroi Nirenberg, F. solani(Mart.) Sacc., Lasiodiplodiatheobromae (Pat.) Griffon & Maubl., Meyerozyma guilliermondii (Wick.) Kurtzman & M. Suzuki., Mucor sp. P. Micheli ex L., Penicillium aculeatum Raper& Fennell, Penicillium citrinum Thom, Rhizoctonia solani Khun., Rhizopus stolonifer (Ehrenb.) Vuill., Rhizopus oryzae Went & Prins. Geerl., Rhizo mucor sp. Luce t & Costantin, Syncephalastrum racemosum Cohn and Trichoderma viride Pers. were found to be associated with the seeds of 14 varieties viz. CB-1 to CB-14 of cotton. Seed quality analysis showed that percentage of pure seeds, germination, moisture, seedling mortality and associated fungi with different varieties of cotton seeds varies from 97.08-99.92%, 80-93%, 10-11.3%, 16.05-50.30% and 24-78.0% respectively. Present study deals with estimation of interrelationship between some quality factors through correlation and regression analysis are important for the assessment of seed quality. There were negative correlations between seedling mortality and purity percentage and between germination rate and fungus frequency. On the other hand, positive correlations were found between germination rate and purity percentage, between seedling mortality and fungus frequency, between purity percentage and fungus frequency, between germination rate and seed moisture and between fungus frequency and seed moisture. CB 8 was superior from the other cotton variety as it showed higher physical purity of seed (98.41%), higher seed germination (92%), lower fungal incidence (24%) and lower mortality of seedling (23.91%). Bioresearch Commu. 8(1): 1061-1067, 2022 (January)

Morfologi cendawan yang berasosiasi dengan gejala busuk buah kakao

The purpose of this study was to determine the types of fungi associated with rotten cacao pods. The results of this study can be used as additional information in controlling not only the main pathogen, but also other associated microorganisms. The method used in this study is a descriptive method through observation or direct observation. The variables observed in this study were the types of fungi associated with the symptoms of cocoa pod rot. The results found five (5) types of fungi associated with symptoms of cocoa pod rot disease, namely Aspergillus aculeatus, Fusarium sp., Mucor sp., Rhizopus sp. and one (1) type of fungus was not identified. All types of fungi have different macroscopic and microscopic morphology. In general, 4 types of fungi were identified as fungi that cause rot in plants.

Optimization of the enzymatic synthesis of fructo-oligosaccharides using fructosyltransferase from aspergillus aculeatus

The obvious benefits of employing prebiotics as functional components in many food and feed products have resulted in higher demand for their industrial production, necessitating the development of more efficient and cost-effective manufacturing procedures. As a result, the goal of this study was to synthesize confirmed prebiotics, namely fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS), using sucrose as a substrate, since it allows the synthesis of oligosaccharides with lower polymerization degree, and consequently, a more pronounced prebiotic effect. Due to its availability, low market price, and high stability under industrial conditions, a commercial enzymatic mixture, Pectinex® Ultra SP-L, is used as a source of enzyme – fructosyltransferase (FTase). By optimizing reaction conditions such as pH, temperature, enzyme and substrate concentrations, as well as the duration of the process, the composition of the FOS mixture can be adjusted to fit the potential applications. It was found that by performing the reaction in an aqueous medium (pH 7), at a temperature of 50 °C using an enzyme concentration of 1% (v/v) and any sucrose concentration in the range of 200-700 g/L, it was possible to achieve maximum FOS yield of 60% of total carbohydrates within a 24 h. The produced syrup with a high content of FOS can be further used as an adequate food additive, or else, optimized proceses should be used for transformation of various food products (such as juices, jams, fillings, candies, cakes, etc.) in which sucrose dominates, creating products with lower caloric and higher functional value.

The effect of water content and carbon source addition on lipase production from Aspergillus aculeatus Ms.11 using spent coffee ground

Lipase is one of the industrially important enzymes, however, the production needs costly substrate. To overcome the problem, we developed an effective medium formulation to produce lipase from indigenous lipolytic mould Aspergillus aculeatus Ms.11 using spent coffee ground. We observed the effect of additional glucose and olive oil, and the influence of water content on lipase production. The experiments were done using the Solid-State Fermentation (SSF) method for 7 days. The results show that optimum lipase production on substrates with additional glucose and olive oil observed on day 4 with lipase activity of 16.296 U/mL and lipase productivity of 150.32 U/g/day. The optimum water content from the results is 50%. The highest lipase activity obtained using the water content is 291.80 U/mL, while the highest lipase productivity is 106.32 U/g/day. The results showed that water content as well as the addition of glucose and olive oil, affects lipase productivity of Aspergillus aculeatus Ms.11 on spent coffee ground. Further studies to optimise the production condition are suggested.

Production of D-galacturonic acid from pomelo peel using the crude enzyme from recombinant Trichoderma reesei expressing a heterologous exopolygalacturonase gene

D-galacturonic acid is a starting material for synthesizing biochemicals used in cosmetic, pharmaceutical, and fuel industries. Utilization of one-step enzymatic hydrolysis method for D-galacturonic acid production can reduce the use of toxic chemical and avoid high temperature in pectin extraction process. However, lack of efficient enzymes facilitating degradation of pectin-rich biomass into D-galacturonic acid limited an implementation of this process. In this study, a heterologous exoPG gene encoding exopolygalacturonase (exoPG), a key pectinase enzyme originating from Aspergillus aculeatus, was expressed in a well-known industrial cellulase-producing strain, Trichoderma reesei RUT-C30. Application of this crude enzyme in the pectin-rich pomelo peel hydrolysis at 60 °C, pH 6.0 for 48 h resulted in up to 151.1 mg/g D-galacturonic acid, which was approximately 6.1-fold higher than that obtained by the enzyme prepared from the parental strain. Further economic assessment of D-galacturonic acid production by using crude enzyme from the recombinant T. reesei revealed that the investment could be returned within 0.5–0.7 year, suggesting profitability of the developed process. The crude enzyme from the engineered T. reesei strain developed in this study promises a clean and sustainable production of D-galacturonic acid from low-cost agricultural waste.

First report of two Aspergillus species isolated from mangrove forest in Ecuador

Mangroves forests are located in tropical and subtropical regions, its adaptation and distribution in coastal regions is influenced by temperature, humidity, tidal and saline fluctuations. Therefore, there are exposed to multiple environmental fluctuations. Mangroves are inhabited by wildlife but also is supported by a diverse community of microorganisms, including fungi. Several fungi in mangroves have multiple ecological roles as saprotrophs or as an opportunistic pathogen, many of them are also used in the industry, as the genus Aspergillus, that are important in the biomedicine, industrial and environmental applications. In this study we isolated species of fungi from mangrove stems and propagules. They were identified by both morphological and by its molecular characteristics. Here, we report the first isolated of Aspergillus niger and Aspergillus aculeatus from mangrove in Ecuador. Research such as these highlights the importance to determine the role of fungi in mangrove ecosystem.

Production of amylases by some aspergillus and fusarium species isolated from waste corncobs in Keffi, Nigeria

Amylases are important industrial enzymes that have wide applications ranging from conversion of starch to sugar syrups, to the production of cyclodextrins for the pharmaceutical industry. This investigation aimed at production of amylases using Aspergillus and Fusarium species isolated from waste-corncobs in Keffi Nigeria. Standard microbiological methods were employed for isolation and identification of the fungal isolates. The yields of amylases produced by fungi isolates were determined using Spectrometry. The isolation rate of Aspergillus and Fusarium species was high in location A, C and D with 60% and location B with 40%. The percentage occurrence of the isolates demonstrated that Aspergillus carneus was 40%, Aspergillus aculeatus was 60% and Aspergillus flavus was 20% while Fusarium moniliforme was 80% and Fusarium redolens was 40%. The result demonstrated that three species of the fungal isolates Aspergillus aculeatus, Aspergillus carneus and Fusarium moniliforme were found to produce amylases. Aspergillus aculeatus isolated from locations C3, D1 and D2 produced 0.018mg/ml, 0.018mg/ml and 0.016mg/ml amylases respectively. Similarly, Aspergillus carneus isolated from locations A1 and B2 produced 0.021mg/ml and 0.012mg/ml amylases. Fusarium moniliforme isolated from locations A3, C1 and C4 produced 0.010mg/ml, 0.016mg/ml and 0.015mg/ml amylases. Result of effect of (temperature, pH and fermentation time) for production of amylases. Whereas highest amount for amylases produced by Aspergillus aculeatus and F monliforme were produced at 28 OC. pH 5.0 was found to the best optima pH for production of amylases from the fungi studied A. carneus (2.99 mg/ml amylases). The fermentation time showed highest production of amylase by A. carneus and A. aculeatus after 72 hours while F. moniliforme produced at 96hours. The fungi species isolated from soil in keffi can be used for production of amylases.

Serine-arginine protein kinase-like protein, SrpkF, stimulates both cellobiose-responsive and D-xylose-responsive signaling pathways in Aspergillus aculeatus.

Aspergillus aculeatus produces cellulolytic enzymes in the presence of their substrates. We screened a library of 12,000 A. aculeatus T-DNA-inserted mutants to identify a regulatory factor involved in the expression of their enzyme genes in response to inducers. We found one mutant that reduced the expression of FIII-avicelase (chbI) in response to cellulose. T-DNA was inserted into a putative protein kinase gene similar to AN10082 in A. nidulans, serine-arginine protein kinase F, SrpkF. Fold increases in srpkF gene expression in response to various carbon sources were 2.3 (D-xylose), 44 (Avicel®), 59 (Bacto™ Tryptone), and 98 (no carbon) compared with D-glucose. Deletion of srpkF in A. aculeatus resulted in a significant reduction in cellulose-responsive expression of chbI, hydrocellulase (cel7b), and FIb-xylanase (xynIb) genes at an early induction phase. Further, the srpkF-overexpressing strain showed upregulation of the srpkF gene from four- to nine-fold higher than in the control strain. srpkF overexpression upregulated cbhI and cel7b in response to cellobiose and the FI-carboxymethyl cellulase gene (cmc1) and xynIb in response to D-xylose. However, the srpkF deletion did not affect the expression of xynIb in response to D-xylose due to the less expression of srpkF under the D-xylose condition. Our data demonstrate that SrpkF is primarily involved in cellulose-responsive expression, though it has a potential to stimulate gene expression in response to both cellobiose and D-xylose in A. aculeatus.

Citrus Segment Degradation Potential, Enzyme Safety Evaluation, and Whole Genome Sequence of Aspergillus aculeatus Strain ZC-1005.

Aspergillus aculeatus ZC-1005 (ZC-1005 was used as the abbreviation of this strain) is a hemicellulase-producing strain isolated from rotten citrus rind buried in the soil. Our previous study has shown its biochemical properties including high xylanase activity, mannanase activity, and degradation reaction with citrus mesocarp. In this study, we focused more on the enzyme safety evaluation and the genome sequencing via PacBio and Illumina platforms. High biological safety of the crude enzymes of ZC-1005 has been proven by the acute oral toxicity test, sub-chronic toxicity test, micronucleus test, and sperm malformation test. The genome of ZC-1005 had a GC content of 52.53%, with a size of 35,458,484 bp, and encoded 10,147 genes. Strain ZC-1005 harbored 269 glycosyl hydrolase (GH) genes of 64 families. The fungus produces cellulose-acting (GH3, GH5, GH12, and GH1) and hemicellulose-acting enzymes (GH16, GH31, GH2, and GH92). In genome annotation, we paid more attention to the genes encoding xylanase, such as gene 01512, gene 05833, gene 05469, gene 07781, gene 08432, gene 09042, gene 08008, and gene 09694. The collaboration between complete genome information and the degradation test confirmed that ZC-1005 could degrade cellulose and xylan. Our results showed that the citrus enzymatic decapsulation technology was efficacious and safe for canned citrus product processing, which may also solve the industrial waste problem. Therefore, ZC-1005 and the crude enzyme secreted from the strain were very promising to be used in the citrus processing industry.

Silver nanoparticles enhanced efficiency of explant surface disinfection and somatic embryogenesis in Begonia tuberous via thin cell layer culture

In vitro culture establishment is one of the most important stages in micropropagation. The disinfectant effectiveness depends on the type of surface disinfectant, concentration and the time treatment. In this initial study, silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) were used as a disinfectant for petioles, flower stalks and stems of Begonia tuberous. In addition, thin cell layer culture (TCL) technique has been applied for the purpose of somatic embryogenesis. The results showed that AgNPs were effective in eliminating infectious microorganisms on B. tuberous explants; which were identified included 4 species of fungi (Fusarium sp., Aspergillus aculeatus, Trichoderma sp. and Penicillium sp.) and 1 species of bacteria (Pseudomonas sp.). At concentrations of 200 ppm and 300 ppm, AgNPs were not only effective in disinfection but also increased the induction rate of somatic embryogenesis in flower stalk TCL explants (approximately 40.00%); a similar effect was observed in stem TCL explants at the same concentration. Meanwhile, for petiole TCL explants, the induction rate of somatic embryogenesis was optimal when using AgNPs at a concentration of 100 - 300 ppm to disinfected the explant. In contrast, at high (400 ppm) or low (50 ppm) concentrations of AgNPs did not play a disinfecting role and stimulated somatic embryogenesis. In addition, explants derived from AgNPs sterilization did not show any abnormalities in somatic embryogenesis with shapes such as globular, heart, torpedo, and cotyledon. AgNPs showed double efficacy in sterilization of explants and improved efficiency of somatic embryogenesis from TCL petioles, flower stalks and stems explants; thus increasing the efficiency micropropagation of B. tuberous.

Improving the functionality of surface-engineered yeast cells by altering the cell wall morphology of the host strain.

The expression of functional proteins on the cell surface using glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)-anchoring technology is a promising approach for constructing yeast cells with special functions. The functionality of surface-engineered yeast strains strongly depends on the amount of functional proteins displayed on their cell surface. On the other hand, since the yeast cell wall space is finite, heterologous protein carrying capacity of the cell wall is limited. Here, we report the effect of CCW12 and CCW14 knockout, which encode major nonenzymatic GPI-anchored cell wall proteins (GPI-CWPs) involved in the cell wall organization, on the heterologous protein carrying capacity of yeast cell wall. Aspergillus aculeatus β-glucosidase (BGL) was used as a reporter to evaluate the protein carrying capacity in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. No significant difference in the amount of cell wall-associated BGL and cell-surface BGL activity was observed between CCW12 and CCW14 knockout strains and their control strain. In contrast, in the CCW12 and CCW14 co-knockout strains, the amount of cell wall-associated BGL and its activity were approximately 1.4-fold higher than those of the control strain and CCW12 or CCW14 knockout strains. Electron microscopic observation revealed that the total cell wall thickness of the CCW12 and CCW14 co-knockout strains was increased compared to the parental strain, suggesting a potential increase in heterologous protein carrying capacity of the cell wall. These results indicate that the CCW12 and CCW14 co-knockout strains are a promising host for the construction of highly functional recombinant yeast strains using cell-surface display technology. KEY POINTS: • CCW12 and/or CCW14 of a BGL-displaying S. cerevisiae strain were knocked out. • CCW12 and CCW14 co-disruption improved the display efficiency of BGL. • The thickness of the yeast cell wall was increased upon CCW12 and CCW14 knockout.

Aspergillus aculeatus enhances potassium uptake and photosynthetic characteristics in perennial ryegrass by increasing potassium availability.

Potassium (K) is a key determinant for plant development and productivity. However, more than 90% of K in the soil exists in an insoluble form. K-solubilizing microbes play an important role in the transformation of insoluble K. Thus, the objective of this study was to evaluate K-dissolving ability of Aspergillus aculeatus (F) and growth-promoting properties in perennial ryegrass. Perennial ryegrass inoculated with A. aculeatus exhibited enhanced soluble K accompanied with higher growth rate and turf quality, compared with the noninoculated regimen. In addition, A. aculeatus also played a primary role in increasing chlorophyll content and photosynthetic capacity of the plant exposed to LK+F (K-feldspar plus A. aculeatus) treatment, compared with the CK (control, no K-feldspar and A. aculeatus), F (only A. aculeatus) and LK (only K-feldspar) groups. Furthermore, the antioxidase activities (CAT and POD) were significantly increased while the oxidative damage (EL and MDA) was dramatically decreased in the LK+F group compared to the LK (K-feldspar) group. Finally, in perennial ryegrass leaves, the genes expression levels of HAK8, HAK12 and HKT18 were obviously elevated in the LK+F group, compared to the CK, F and LK groups. We concluded that A. aculeatus could solubilize K from bound form and be considered as K-solubilizing biofertilizer through supplementing K in soil. Aspergillusaculeatus has the potential to be used as a biofertilizer in sustainable agriculture.

The role of arabinoxylan in determining the non-linear and linear rheology of bread doughs made from blends of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and rye (Secale cereale L.) flour

Part of the role which arabinoxylan (AX) plays in bread making relates to its impact on the bulk rheology of dough. However, the actual mechanisms by which it influences dough rheology are still not well understood. An evident research approach is to use endo-β-1,4-xylanases (XYLs) to hydrolyze AX and hence increase their solubility. Here, the AX population in (i) wheat dough and (ii) mixed cereal doughs made from blends of wheat flour (WF) and rye flour (RF) was subjected to hydrolysis by XYL from Aspergillus aculeatus (XAA) or Bacillus subtilis (XBS). Non-linear and linear dough rheology was studied by uniaxial extensional and small-amplitude oscillatory shear measurements, respectively. Low dosages of XBS or XAA in wheat or mixed cereal doughs changed neither their non-linear nor their linear extensional rheological responses, presumably because limited AX hydrolysis did not result in high losses of water binding and/or because dough constituents bound the liberated water. A high dosage of XBS or XAA led to extensive hydrolysis of AX and considerably decreased the linear extensional viscosity. This decrease resulted from an altered dough water distribution.

Accumulation and subcellular distribution of cadmium in rygegrass induced by Aspergillus niger TL-F2 and Aspergillus flavus TL-F3

Although plant growth-promoting fungi can greatly accelerate the ryegrass bioaccumulation of cadmium (Cd), the underlying mechanisms are not yet well documented. Therefore, we performed a 20-days hydroponic experiment to investigate the effects of Aspergillus niger TL-F2 (A. niger TL-F2) and Aspergillus flavus TL-F3 (A. flavus TL-F3) on accumulation/subcellular distribution of Cd by annual ryegrass Dongmu 70 at different Cd concentrations (0, 2.5, and 5 mg L−1). Results indicated that both fungal strains promoted ryegrass biomass/growth by about 60%. Furthermore, we found that ryegrass roots (17.8–37.1 μg pot−1) had a significantly higher capability for Cd uptake than the shoots (1.66–5.45 μg pot−1) (p < 0.05). Of total Cd in ryegrass plants, 44–67% was in soluble form, 24–37% was in cell wall, and 8.5–25.5% was in organelles. Compared with non-fungus ryegrass, cell wall and soluble Cd fractions in fungus-inoculated roots increased and decreased by 13.5–44% and 21.5–26.4%, respectively. Besides, fungus inoculation generally increased the content of cell wall and soluble Cd fractions in ryegrass shoots. Altogether, the study concludes that inoculation of fungus in ryegrass is a promising approach to improve phytoremediation of Cd contaminated environments. Novelty statement Previous study by Han et al. (2018) examined the resistance of ryegrass plant to Cd stress after its inoculation with Aspergillus aculeatus. In this study, using a hydroponic experiment, we examined the effects of co-application of two species of Aspergillus fungi. i.e. A. niger TL-F2 and A. flavus TL-F3 on ryegrass growth/biomass, Cd absorption by ryegrass shoots and roots, and subcellular distribution of Cd in ryegrass roots and shoots.

Heterologous Expression and Characterization of a Ferulic Acid Esterase from Aspergillus aculeatus with Potential Use in Sunflower Seed Processing

Hydrolytic activity for chlorogenic acid (CGA) has been recognized as an important side activity of some types of ferulic acid esterases. The purpose of this work was to enhance the efficient expression of ferulic acid esterase (FAE) and to explore its application in the processing of sunflower seed. Two novel FAEs from Aspergillus aculeatus (AaSD14) were expressed in genetically engineered E. coli BL21 (DE3), and their properties, including temperature, pH, metal ions and substrate specificity, were characterized after purification. Competitive CGA hydrolysis activity was observed in these recombined ferulic acid esterases (reFAEs) with reFAE1 of 246.37 U/g and reFAE2 of 340.95 U/g, which were 56.6 and 78.4 times higher than that of the wild strain (4.35 U/g), respectively. Meanwhile, the fermentation cycle was greatly shortened to 2.0 d. These reFAEs were recognized as type C FAE through substrate specificity assays. Treatment of sunflower seed protein (SSP) using reFAE2 resulted in a remarkable color change, from green to milk-white, confirming the activity of CGA biodegradation. Therefore, it shows certain potential in the processing of sunflower seed and other related foodstuffs.

Effect of indigenous cellulolytic fungi enhancement on organic carbon and soybean production on peat soil

The two main issues of any application of agricultural technologies in empowering peatlands for crop cultivation are their impacts on carbon storage and crop production. Indigenous cellulolytic fungi enhancement in peat is a technology to increase crop production on peat. The cellulolytic fungi decay lignocellulosic complex to release humic acids and improve soil fertility. We conducted a greenhouse (GH) experiment to study the organic C and soybean yield on enhanced peat soils with indigenous cellulolytic fungi. The experimental design to test soybean performance on peat was a completely randomized design (CRD) 3 treatments, i.e., fibric, hemic, and sapric of peat. There were six pots of each peat that were enriched by consortia of cellulolytic fungi Penicillium singorense, Aspergillus aculeatus, and Trichoderma sp. On average, CO2 flux increased from 0.39 mg CO2/kg/day to 0.72 mg CO2/kg/day, and the organic carbon and fiber content reduced 13.3% and 26.2%, respectively of all peat soils enriched by indigenous cellulolytic fungi. The highest beans yield of soybean was 3.56 g/population, equivalent to 1.25 tons/ha, was on sapric peat enriched by the cellulolytic fungi.

Isolation and Identification of Fungi Associated with Solanum lycopersicum L. (Tomato) Leaves in Alapoti, Ogun State Nigeria

Solanum lycopersicum (tomato) is an essential vegetable crop consumed worldwide. Major limiting factors in its production include fungal foliar diseases. Therefore, this work was aimed at investigating the fungi associated with diseased tomato leaves. Infected leaf samples (3 per plant, 30 plants per farm) of Kerewa variety were randomly collected at the expression of disease symptoms from 3 farms in Alapoti, Ogun State. Samples were cultured on Potato Dextrose Agar for fungal isolation. All isolates were identified using morphological and microscopic features. Pathogenicity test was conducted based on Koch’s postulates. Identified symptoms on the leaf samples were chlorosis, leaf spot and wilt. Fungi isolated from diseased tomato leaves were Aspergillus aculeatus, A. niger, A. tamarii, A. ustus, A. versicolor, Epicoccum nigrum, Fusarium oxysporum, Phialophora melinii, Phomopsis sp. and Trichodema asperellum. Fusarium oxysporum and Phomopsis sp. were found to be the causal organisms of the leaf infections. Due to the effect of the leaf diseases of the overall productivity of tomato, it is important to put in place adequate control measures to mitigate the effect of the diseases.

Improved Bioactivity of 3-O-β-D-Glucopyranosyl Platycosides in Biotransformed Platycodon grandiflorum Root Extract by Pectinase from Aspergillus aculeatus.

Platycodon grandiflorum (balloon flower) root (Platycodi radix, PR) is used as a health supplement owing to its beneficial bioactive properties. In the present study, the anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and whitening effects of deglycosylated platycosides (saponins) from PR biotransformed by pectinase from Aspergillus aculeatus were investigated. The bioactivities of the platycosides improved when the number of sugar moieties attached to the aglycone platycosides was decreased. The deglycosylated saponins exhibited higher lipoxygenase inhibitory activities (anti-inflammatory activities) than the precursor platycosides and the anti-inflammatory compound baicalein. The 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity of the pectinase-treated PR extract was higher than that of the non-treated PR extract. The trolox-equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC) assay showed improved values as the saponins were hydrolyzed. The tyrosinase inhibitory activities (whitening effects) of deglycosylated platycosides were higher than those of the precursor platycosides. Furthermore, 3-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl platycosides showed higher anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and whitening activities than their precursor glycosylated platycosides. Therefore, 3-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl platycosides may improve the beneficial effects of nutritional supplements and cosmetic products.

Three new indole diterpenoids from Aspergillus aculeatus KKU-CT2

Three new indole diterpenoids, aculeatupenes A–C (1–3), together with four known compounds (4–7), were isolated from the mycelium of Aspergillus aculeatus KKU-CT2. Their structures were established by spectroscopic evidence and absolute configurations of 1–3 were determined by comparison of their experimental and calculated ECD spectra. Compounds 1, 2, and emindole SB (4) showed weak cytotoxicity against HelaS3, KB, HepG2, MCF-7, and A549 cancer cell lines with IC50 values in the range of 11.12–67.81 μM. Compound 3 showed weak cytotoxicity against HelaS3 cell lines with an IC50 value of 17.48 μM but non-cytotoxicity against Vero cell line. In addition, compound 1 exhibited weak antibacterial activity against Bacillus cereus.

Preliminary study of black aspergilli inhabiting Piper rhizosphere from Eka Karya Botanical Garden, Bedugul Bali

The black aspergilli (Aspergillus section Nigri ) occupy a broad spectrum of habitat, and they are an essential group of species in food mycology, medical mycology, and biotechnology. This study aimed to isolate and identify the black aspergilli inhabiting five samples of Piper rhizosphere collected from Eka Karya Botanical Garden, Bedugul Bali. In this study, 71 strains of black aspergilli were isolated, and 20 strains of them have selected and characterized using morphological, molecular, and phylogenetic analysis. Morphological data results are useful for preliminary identification, but they did not have been totally effective in describing and elucidating 20 selected strains into species level. Further molecular identification and phylogenetic analysis based on ITS rDNA showed that from 20 selected strains, four strains were identified as Aspergillus aculeatus sensu stricto, three strains were identified as Aspergillus japonicus sensu stricto, four strains were identified as Aspergillus niger sensu lato, and nine strains were identified as Aspergillus tubingensis sensu stricto. Preliminary exploration of fungi through isolation and identification was the first step to discover the potential strains that able to produce the promising metabolites and bioactive materials. The study results are expected to be the initial microbial resources and information for screening and utilizing the black aspergilli through bioprospecting.