Aspergillus Terreus Strain Research Articles

A butyrolactone derivative from marine-derived fungal strain Aspergillus terreus BTBU20211037

The secondary metabolites of marine-derived fungal strain, Aspergillus terreus BTBU20211037, isolated from Qinhuangdao coast were investigated. Thirteen compounds were isolated and identified, including one new compound, butyrolactone J (1), and twelve known compounds, butyrolactone I (2), butyrolactone VI (3), aspernolide B (4), aspernolide A (5), 7’-hydroxybutyrolactone III (6), methyl asterrate (7), methyl dichloroasterrate (8), sulochrin (9), methyl 6-acetyl-4-methoxy-5,7,8-trihydroxynaphthalene-2-carboxylate (10), serantrypinone (11), alantrypinone (12), and territrem A (13). The structures of the compounds were elucidated by HRESIMS, NMR, and ECD analysis. Compounds 1, 10, and 13 showed inhibitory effects against Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923 with minimal inhibitory concentrations of 12.5, 25, and 100 μg/mL, respectively.

Assessment of Fungal Contamination and Their Toxigenic Potential of Farmed Fish in Western Algeria

Fish and fish products have been documented as a major source of pathogens, with fungi playing a key role. In this paper, a survey was conducted to determine the presence of fungi in fish reared in various aquaculture farms in western Algeria, namely Nile Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus), gilthead sea bream (Sparus aurata) and sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax). The search for micromycetes was carried out on different parts of the body: skin and flesh, gills, and intestines. A total of 1937 fungal strains were revealed and divided into 10 genera of filamentous fungi, one genus of yeast, and other yeasts that have not yet been determined. Penicillium was the most common genus, representing 41.56% of the fungal population, fol-lowed by Rhodotorula (17.60%), and Aspergillus (15.95%). The greatest number of isolates was identified in the gills of gilthead sea bream, while the lowest number was isolated from sea bass intestines. Secondly, we sought to highlight the toxigenic potential of the fungal strains isolated, using the brine shrimp lethality test. Five of the fungal strains tested, belonging to the two genera Penicillium and Aspergillus, showed toxic potential for Artemia salina. The highest toxicities were observed mainly by strains of Aspergillus parasiticus (APAR001), Aspergillus terreus (ATER002), and Aspergillus niger (ANIG001) respectively. Penicillium chrysogenum (PCHR002) showed the lowest activity. These results confirm the infection of farmed fish by toxigenic fungal communities, which can present a real health hazard to consumers. Regular monitoring and compliance with fish health management practices are recommended.

Biochemical characterization of an exo-polygalacturonase of strain Aspergillus terreus PA3A5T and its application in fruit juice clarification

Biochemical characterization of an exo-polygalacturonase of strain Aspergillus terreus PA3A5T and its application in fruit juice clarification

Isolation of the Endophytic Fungus Aspergillus terreus from a Halophyte (Tetraena qatarensis) and Assessment of Its Potential in Tomato Seedling Protection.

Living in diverse environmentally harsh conditions, the plant exhibits a unique survival mechanism. As a result, the endophytes residing within the plant produce specific compounds that promote the plant's growth and defend it against pathogens. Plants and algae symbiotically harbor endophytes, i.e., microbes and microorganisms living within them. The objective of this study is to isolate endophytic fungi, specifically strains of Aspergillus terreus, from the leaves of the salt-tolerant plant Tetraena qatarensis and to explore the salt tolerance, antagonistic activity, and growth promotion properties. Strain C A. terreus (ON117337.1) was screened for salt tolerance and antagonistic effects. Regarding salt tolerance, the isolate demonstrated the ability to thrive in a concentration of up to 10% NaCl. A. terreus showed inhibitory activity against four fungal phytopathogens, namely Fusarium oxysporum, Alternaria alternata, Colletotrichum gloeosporioides, and Botrytis cinerea. The GC-MS investigation of the fungal (strain C Aspergillus terreus) extract showed the presence of about 66 compounds (secondary metabolites). Secondary metabolites (SMs) are produced, like Hexadecanoic acid, which aids in controlling phytopathogens. Also produced is lovastatin, which is used to treat hypercholesterolemia. Strain C, which showed salinity tolerance and the highest inhibitory activity, was further analyzed for its effect on tomato seed germination under pathogen stress from Fusarium oxysporum. The greenhouse experiment indicated that the fungi increased the length of tomato seedlings and the plant biomass. Therefore, the selected endophytes derived from Tetraena qatarensis were scrutinized for their potential as biocontrol agents, aiming to thwart fungal pathogens and stimulate plant growth. The in vitro and in vivo assessments of strain C (Aspergillus terreus) against Fusarium oxysporum in this investigation indicate the promising role of endophytes as effective biological control agents. Investigating novel bio-products offers a sustainable approach to agriculture, gradually reducing dependence on chemical fungicides.

Exploring the potential of Aspergillus terreus 2021, WLL-ISO: A dual-functional agent for heavy metal removal and self-aggregation in wastewater treatment

This study investigates the potential of Aspergillus terreus strain 2021, WLL-ISO, isolated from Cu2+-rich wastewater, for heavy metal removal and spheroidization. Phylogenetic analysis, supported by biochemical characterization, reveals its close affiliation with A. terreus. The fungus exhibits robust growth and diverse substrate utilization. Notably, it achieves complete removal of Cu2+ from solutions (initial concentrations: 10–50 mg/L) alongside self-spheroidization. The resulting pellets display enhanced settleability and a porous structure conducive to heavy metal adsorption. Langmuir and Freundlich models confirm the fungus’s high affinity and capacity for heavy metal adsorption, particularly Cu2+, Zn2+, Pb2+, and Fe2+. EPS analysis reveals significant compositional alterations under heavy metal stress, impacting pellet formation. Three-dimensional excitation-emission matrix spectrum analysis detects activation of humic acid-like organics in response to Cu2+ stress. Moreover, the fungus exhibits promising Cu2+ removal from real wastewater, highlighting its practical potential in heavy metal remediation. The self-aggregating nature of the fungus presents opportunities for the recycling of adsorbents post-heavy metal adsorption, enhancing the sustainability of the remediation process.

Screening and genetic engineering of marine-derived Aspergillus terreus for high-efficient production of lovastatin

BackgroundLovastatin has widespread applications thanks to its multiple pharmacological effects. Fermentation by filamentous fungi represents the major way of lovastatin production. However, the current lovastatin productivity by fungal fermentation is limited and needs to be improved.ResultsIn this study, the lovastatin-producing strains of Aspergillus terreus from marine environment were screened, and their lovastatin productions were further improved by genetic engineering. Five strains of A. terreus were isolated from various marine environments. Their secondary metabolites were profiled by metabolomics analysis using Ultra Performance Liquid Chromatography–Mass spectrometry (UPLC–MS) with Global Natural Products Social Molecular Networking (GNPS), revealing that the production of secondary metabolites was variable among different strains. Remarkably, the strain of A. terreus MJ106 could principally biosynthesize the target drug lovastatin, which was confirmed by High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) and gene expression analysis. By one-factor experiment, lactose was found to be the best carbon source for A. terreus MJ106 to produce lovastatin. To improve the lovastatin titer in A. terreus MJ106, genetic engineering was applied to this strain. Firstly, a series of strong promoters was identified by transcriptomic and green fluorescent protein reporter analysis. Then, three selected strong promoters were used to overexpress the transcription factor gene lovE encoding the major transactivator for lov gene cluster expression. The results revealed that compared to A. terreus MJ106, all lovE over-expression mutants exhibited significantly more production of lovastatin and higher gene expression. One of them, LovE-b19, showed the highest lovastatin productivity at a titer of 1512 mg/L, which represents the highest production level reported in A. terreus.ConclusionOur data suggested that combination of strain screen and genetic engineering represents a powerful tool for improving the productivity of fungal secondary metabolites, which could be adopted for large-scale production of lovastatin in marine-derived A. terreus.

Green ecofriendly enhancement of cellulase productivity using agricultural wastes by Aspergillus terreus MN901491: statistical designs and detergent ability on cotton fabrics

BackgroundCellulase is considered a group member of the hydrolytic enzymes, responsible for catalyzing the hydrolysis of cellulose and has various industrial applications. Agricultural wastes are used as an inexpensive source for several utilizable products throughout the world. So, searching for cellulase enzymes from fungal strains capable of utilizing agricultural wastes to increase productivity, reduce costs and overcome waste accumulation in the environment is very important to evaluate its potency as a bio-additive to detergent agents.ResultsIn the current study, the previously identified fungal strain Aspergillus terreus MN901491 was screened and selected for cellulase production. Medium parameters were optimized using one-factor-at-a-time (OFAT) and multi-factorial (Plackett-Burman and Box-Behnken) design methods. OFAT showed the ability of the fungal strain to utilize agricultural wastes (corn cob and rice straw) as a substrate. Also, yeast extract was the best nitrogen source for enhancing cellulase productivity. The most significant variables were determined by Plackett-Burman Design (PBD) and their concentrations were optimized by Response Surface Methodology (RSM) using Box-Behnken Design (BBD). Among eleven independent variables screened by PBD, malt extract, (NH4)2SO4, and KCl were the most significant ones followed by rice straw which affected cellulase production positively. The ANOVA results particularly the R2-value of PBD (0.9879) and BBD (0.9883) confirmed the model efficiency and provided a good interpretation of the experiments. PBD and BBD improved cellulase productivity by 6.1-fold greater than that obtained from OFAT. Medium optimization using OFAT and statistical models increased cellulase production from A. terreus MN901491 by 9.3-fold compared to the non-optimized medium. Moreover, the efficiency of cellulase activity on cotton fabrics as a bio-additive detergent was evaluated and estimated using whiteness and scanning electron microscope (SEM) that affirmed its potential effect and remarkable detergent ability to improve whiteness by 200% in comparison with non-washed fabric and by 190% in comparison with fabric washed by water.ConclusionThe presented work was stabilized as a multi-efficiency in which wastes were used to produce cellulase enzyme from the fungal strain, Aspergillus terreus MN901491 as a bio-additive to detergent applications that involved ecofriendly and green processes.

Plicatin C: A New Cinnamate Derivative from Mangrove-derived Fungus Aspergillus terreus DM62

Background: Marine fungi have been proven to be a new arsenal for the discovery of valuable secondary metabolites. Method:: Fungus strain Aspergillus terreus DM62 was initially fermentated using solid corn medium and PDA liquid medium. Subsequently, extensive chromatographic methods were applied to isolate the fermentation cultures of DM62, and the chemical structures of isolate compounds were elucidated by pectroscopic analyses and optical rotations comparison. Additionally, α-glucosidase and ATPcitrate lyase (ACL) inhibitory activities of isolate compounds were assessed to investigate their hypoglycemic and lipid-lowering activities. Result:: A new cinnamate derivative, plicati n C (1), together with 18 known compounds, were isolated from the solid and liquid state fermentations of A. terreus DM62. Activity evaluation showed that compounds 3, 6, and 8-10 exhibited stronger α-glucosidase inhibitory activities than acarbose at 400 μM, and butenolide 3, with an IC50 value of 21.5 μM, was discovered with significant ACL inhibitory activity for the first time. Conclusion:: This study not only discovered a new cinnamate derivative but also found butenolides with potent ACL inhibitory activity, which is favorable to clarify their pharmacological mechanism in the treatment of metabolic disease.

Polymeric coating doped with nanomaterials for functional impact on different substrates

Microorganism contamination on substrate surfaces is arousing increasingly concern as a serious health issue. In this research work, antimicrobial water-based acrylic paint containing silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) was prepared using the facile Ag+ in situ reduction process, in which AgNO3 and reducing agent sodium acrylate were refluxed with acrylic polymeric solution to obtain an antimicrobial and antifungal polymeric material for substrate coating. The Synthesized antimicrobial and antifungal water-based acrylic paint were characterized by different spectroscopic techniques. The FTIR and UV–Visible spectroscopic analyses were investigated to study the water-based acrylic paint structure as well as the significant impact of Ag NPs on the paint matrix. The UV–Visible and FTIR Spectra peak shows successful integration of Ag NPs within the polymer matrix without altering the core functional groups of the paint. The water based acrylic paint exhibited a strong antimicrobial activity, revealed substantial inhibition zones against all four strains of Gram negative represented by Escherichia coli, Acinetobacter baumannii, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Gram-positive represented by Bacillus cereus. The coated film on substrate also shows great inhibition zone which exhibit a strong antimicrobial activity. Moreover, water based acrylic paint also exhibited a great antifungal activity, revealed substantial zone of inhibition against the Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus terreus and Rhizopus arrhizus fungal strains. Also, the coated film showed the best adhesion at 50% and 80% solution of polymeric coating sample as compared to pure or very dilute sample coating. This innovative approach has the potential to revolutionize varies industries from healthcare to construction.

Investigation of optimal parameters for aspartic protease production from Aspergillus terreus using solid-state fermentation

The current study presents extracellular Aspartic protease production using low-cost agro-industrial waste with the indigenously isolated novel strain Aspergillus terreus, and parameters that largely affect enzyme production, namely fermentation time, pH, moistening solution, temperature, inoculum volume, and different solutions, were utilized for enzyme extraction. The isolated fungus was identified as A. terreus (registered as A. terreus SFH5 in the gene bank) by phenotypic and molecular characterization, showed the highest aspartic protease activity of 258.6 units/mL and 272.2 units/mg using a solid-state fermentation technique during screening, and was further used for media component screening and optimization studies. The study employed wheat bran as the preferred production medium and casein as the nitrogen source. The fermentation process was conducted at a temperature of 30°C and a pH of 5. The moistening solution to fermentation medium ratio was set at 3:1, while an inoculum volume of 2 mL (containing 1 × 106 spores/10 g solid) was used. Distilled water was selected as the most effective solution for extracting the enzyme. It has been discovered that the locally isolated novel strain of A. terreus, SFH5, can efficiently produce a substantial amount of aspartic protease by utilizing agro-industrial waste. This makes it a viable candidate for large-scale optimized production of the enzyme to satisfy industrial requirements.

Metabolomic profiling of Medicago sativa-derived fungal endophytes and evaluation of their biological activities.

This study aimed to discover the potential of Medicago sativa-derived fungal endophytes as a prospective source of bioactive metabolites. In the present study, three different strains of fungal endophyte Aspergillus terreus were isolated from leaves L, roots T and stems St of Medicago sativa to explore their biological and chemical diversity. These isolated fungi were exposed to different fermentation conditions by adding various chemical elicitors to their solid fermentation media. According to LC-HRESIMS-based metabolomics and multivariate analysis, each chemical treatment had a different effect on the chemical profiles of the fungi. Orthogonal Projections to Latent Structures Discriminant Analysis (OPLS-DA) proposed several compounds with anticancer action against MCF-7 (a human breast cancer cell line) and MDA-MB-231 (a human epithelial breast cancer cell line).

A comparative study on the removal and recovery of hexavalent chromium from tannery wastewater using an isolated strain Aspergillus proliferans LA and a known strain Aspergillus terreus

Isolation of a potent microorganism from the soil near tanneries and a comparative analysis of the removal and recovery of different concentrations of hexavalent chromium using known strain Aspergillus terreus and isolated strain Aspergillis proliferansLA are done. The isolated fungal species from the chromium contaminated soil sites located in the industrial area of Kanpur, U.P. were tested for its potential for the removal of hexavalent chromium from wastewater streams. The experiments were conducted comparing the biosorption efficiency of the isolated species Aspergillus proliferansLA and Aspergillus terreus by varying the initial Cr (VI) concentration and media constituents. The highest removal efficiency of 99.19% was shown by the isolated species Aspergillus proliferansLA for an initial Cr (VI) concentration of 10ppm followed by increasing the concentration to 50ppm whereas Aspergillus terreus showed 78.43% removal of hexavalent chromium. This was then followed by desorption using 0.8M NaOH and 75.12% hexavalent chromium was desorbed from the cells. The isolated strain Aspergillus proliferansLA was seen to show better removal and recovery results than the known strain Aspergillus terreus.

Biodegradation of aflatoxin B1 by Aspergillus terreus HNGD-TM15 and its degradation mechanism

Abstract The Aspergillus terreus strain HNGD-TM15 that was isolated from soil grown with rosemary was shown to efficiently degrade aflatoxin B1 (AFB1). Specifically, AFB1 was degraded by the strain’s fermentation broth at a maximum degradation rate of 98.3%. HPLC and LC-MS analyses detected a degradation product with an m/z ion value of 312.0636. Its molecular formula was C18H39NO3, which was tentatively identified as 2-amino-1, 3,4-octadecatriol. Based on LC-MS results and further analysis, it was revealed that a series of reactions, such as decomposition, reduction (lactone ring hydrogenation) and substitution (hydrolysis), occurred during the degradation of AFB1. Therefore, A. terreus HNGD-TM15 has a great potential for application in the detoxification of AFB1 contaminating food and feed products.

Enzymatic valorization of cellulosic and hemicellulosic-based biomasses via the production of antioxidant water-soluble hydrolyzate of maize stalks and the green bio-deinking of mixed office waste paper

AbstractBio-valorization of various biomasses provides a sustainable promising approach for the eco-friendly production of variable value-added products. Herein, the current study devoted to the enzymatic valorization of two widely available biomasses, namely, maize stalks and waste paper. The cellulytic and hemicellulytic-rich cocktail was produced through the fermentation of rice straw by a locally isolated fungal strain Aspergillus terreus. The potential applicability of the produced cocktail for the enzymatic hydrolysis of the polysaccharide constituents of maize stalks was evaluated under various strategies. The reported results indicated that the microwave pretreatment of the biomass yielding a water-soluble hydrolyzate rich in cellobiose and xylobiose, sustained by thin layer (TLC) and high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) measurements, in addition to phenolic compounds. Moreover, the enzymatic hydrolysis of the extracted hemicellulosic fraction from maize stalks was rich in xylooligosaccharides and phenolic compounds higher than that released from the hydrolysis of commercial xylan. The estimated antioxidant activity of the resulted hydrolyzate was also monitored by the scavenging of 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl free radical spectrophotometrically at 515 nm. Moreover, the potential applicability of the produced enzymatic cocktail was examined for the bio-deinking of waste paper. The physical, chemical, and surface morphological characteristics of the treated paper sample was compared to a blank one regarding the whiteness index, ash content, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray (EDX), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). On the base of the estimated results, the produced enzymatic cocktail possessed efficient dislodgement ability for the printed ink from the paper surface.

Myco-synthesized copper oxide nanoparticles using harnessing metabolites of endophytic fungal strain Aspergillus terreus: an insight into antibacterial, anti-Candida, biocompatibility, anticancer, and antioxidant activities

BackgroundThe overuse of antibiotics leads to the emergence of antibiotic-resistant microbes which causes high mortality worldwide. Therefore, the synthesis of new active compounds has multifunctional activities are the main challenge. Nanotechnology provides a solution for this issue.MethodThe endophytic fungal strain Aspergillus terreus BR.1 was isolated from the healthy root of Allium sativum and identified using internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequence analysis. The copper oxide nanoparticles (CuO-NPs) were synthesized by harnessing the metabolites of the endophytic fungal strain. The UV-Visble spectroscopy, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), Transmission electron micrscopy (TEM), Energy dispersive X-ray (EDX), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Dynamic light scattering (DLS), and zeta potential (ζ) were used for the characterization of synthesized CuO-NPs. The activity against different pathogenic bacteria and Candida species were investigated by agar well-diffusion method. The biocombatibility and anticancer activity were assessed by MTT assay method. The scavenging of DPPH was used to investigate the antioxidant activity of synthesized CuO-NPs.ResultsData showed the successful formation of crystalline nature and spherical shape CuO-NPs with sizes in the ranges of 15–55 nm. The EDX reveals that the as-formed sample contains ions of C, O, Cl, and Cu with weight percentages of 18.7, 23.82, 11.31, and 46.17%, respectively. The DLS and ζ-potential showed high homogeneity and high stability of synthesized CuO-NPs with a polydispersity index (PDI) of 0.362 and ζ-value of − 26.6 mV. The synthesized CuO-NPs exhibited promising antibacterial and anti-Candida activity (concentration-dependent) with minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values in the ranges of 25–50 µg mL–1. Moreover, the fungal mediated-CuO-NPs targeted cancer cells of MCF7 and PC3 at low IC50 concentrations of 159.2 ± 4.5 and 116.2 ± 3.6 µg mL–1, respectively as compared to normal cells (Vero and Wi38 with IC50 value of 220.6 ± 3.7 and 229.5 ± 2.1 µg mL–1, respectively). The biosynthesized CuO-NPs showed antioxidant activity as detected by the DPPH method with scavenging percentages of 80.5 ± 1.2% at a concentration of 1000 µg mL–1 and decreased to 20.4 ± 4.2% at 1.9 µg mL–1 as compared to ascorbic acid (control) with scavenging activity of 97.3 ± 0.2 and 37.5 ± 1.3% at the same concentrations, respectively.ConclusionThe fungal mediated-CuO-NPs exhibited promising activity and can be integrated into various biomedical and theraputic applications.

Complete genome sequence of a novel chrysovirus infecting Aspergillus terreus.

A double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) mycovirus was obtained from Aspergillus terreus strain HJ3-26 and designated "Aspergillus terreus chrysovirus 1" (AtCV1). It consists of four dsRNA segments (dsRNA1-4) with lengths of 3612 bp, 3132 bp, 3153 bp, and 3144 bp, respectively. Sequence analysis showed that dsRNA1 encodes an RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp), dsRNA2 encodes a capsid protein, and both dsRNA3 and dsRNA4 encode hypothetical proteins. Phylogenetic analysis of the RdRp suggested that AtCV1 is a member of a new species of the genus Alphachrysovirus in the family Chrysoviridae. This is the first chrysovirus obtained from A. terreus.

Microbial production of trans-aconitic acid

Trans-aconitic acid (TAA) is a promising bio-based chemical with the structure of unsaturated tricarboxylic acid, and also has the potential to be a non-toxic nematicide as a potent inhibitor of aconitase. However, TAA has not been commercialized because the traditional production processes of plant extraction and chemical synthesis cannot achieve large-scale production at a low cost. The availability of TAA is a serious obstacle to its widespread application. In this study, we developed an efficient microbial synthesis and fermentation production process for TAA. An engineered Aspergillus terreus strain producing cis-aconitic acid and TAA was constructed by blocking itaconic acid biosynthesis in the industrial itaconic acid-producing strain. Through heterologous expression of exogenous aconitate isomerase, we further designed a more efficient cell factory to specifically produce TAA. Subsequently, the fermentation process was developed and scaled up step-by-step, achieving a TAA titer of 60 g L−1 at the demonstration scale of a 20 m3 fermenter. Finally, the field evaluation of the produced TAA for control of the root-knot nematodes was performed in a field trial, effectively reducing the damage of the root-knot nematode. Our work provides a commercially viable solution for the green manufacturing of TAA, which will significantly facilitate biopesticide development and promote its widespread application as a bio-based chemical.

Exploitation of Sugarcane Bagasse and Environmentally Sustainable Production, Purification, Characterization, and Application of Lovastatin by Aspergillus terreus AUMC 15760 under Solid-State Conditions.

Using the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region for identification, three strains of Aspergillus terreus were identified and designated AUMC 15760, AUMC 15762, and AUMC 15763 for the Assiut University Mycological Centre culture collection. The ability of the three strains to manufacture lovastatin in solid-state fermentation (SSF) using wheat bran was assessed using gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy (GC-MS). The most potent strain was strain AUMC 15760, which was chosen to ferment nine types of lignocellulosic waste (barley bran, bean hay, date palm leaves, flax seeds, orange peels, rice straw, soy bean, sugarcane bagasse, and wheat bran), with sugarcane bagasse turning out to be the best substrate. After 10 days at pH 6.0 at 25 °C using sodium nitrate as the nitrogen source and a moisture content of 70%, the lovastatin output reached its maximum quantity (18.2 mg/g substrate). The medication was produced in lactone form as a white powder in its purest form using column chromatography. In-depth spectroscopy examination, including 1H, 13C-NMR, HR-ESI-MS, optical density, and LC-MS/MS analysis, as well as a comparison of the physical and spectroscopic data with published data, were used to identify the medication. At an IC50 of 69.536 ± 5.73 µM, the purified lovastatin displayed DPPH activity. Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus epidermidis had MICs of 1.25 mg/mL, whereas Candida albicans and Candida glabrata had MICs of 2.5 mg/mL and 5.0 mg/mL, respectively, against pure lovastatin. As a component of sustainable development, this study offers a green (environmentally friendly) method for using sugarcane bagasse waste to produce valuable chemicals and value-added commodities.

The Mechanism of Two Benzaldehydes from Aspergillus terreus C23-3 Improve Neuroinflammatory and Neuronal Damage to Delay the Progression of Alzheimer's Disease.

Alzheimer's disease (AD), a neurodegenerative disease, is the most common cause of dementia in humans worldwide. Although more in-depth research has been carried out on AD, the therapeutic effect of AD is not as expected, and natural active substances are increasingly sought after by scientists. In the present study, we evaluated two benzaldehydes from a coral-derived Aspergillus terreus strain C23-3, their anti-neuroinflammatory activity in microglia (BV-2), and their neuroprotective activity and mechanisms in hippocampal neuronal cells (HT-22). These include the protein expression of iNOS, COX-2, MAPKs pathways, Tau protein-related pathways, caspases family-related signaling pathways. They also include the levels of TNF-α, IL-6, IL-18 and ROS, as well as the level of mitochondrial oxidative stress and neuronal cell apoptosis. The results showed that both benzaldehydes were effective in reducing the secretion of various inflammatory mediators, as well as pro-inflammatory factors. Among these, benzaldehyde 2 inhibited mitochondrial oxidative stress and blocked neuronal cell apoptosis through Tau protein-related pathways and caspases family-related signaling pathways, thereby inhibiting β-amyloid (Aβ)-induced neurological damage. This study reveals that benzaldehyde 2 has potential as a therapeutic agent for Alzheimer's disease, and offers a new approach to the high-value use of marine natural products.

Genomic Analysis and Antimicrobial Components of M7, an Aspergillus terreus Strain Derived from the South China Sea.

As a typical filamentous fungus, Aspergillus species are highly adaptive to diverse ecological habitats, represented by their occurrence in both terrestrial and marine environments; this could plausibly be ascribed to their preeminent biological diversity and metabolic variability. In this context, marine-derived Aspergillus fungi have recently attracted great interest as a promising potential source of biologically active compounds. The present study depicts the genomic and chemical profiles of M7, a strain of Aspergillus terreus isolated from mussels in the South China Sea; the crude extracts of its soybean fermentation exhibit potent growth-inhibitory properties against A. baumannii and P. aeruginosa. Subsequently, functional genomics analysis based on sequences implied a considerable biosynthetic potential of the strain, which is substantiated by the 75 biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs) identified via genome mining; the majority (49 BGCs) were functionally unknown. Representatively, the putative biosynthetic pathways of terramide A and terramide B, the bacteriostatic products obtained through chemical separation and characterized from the fermentation, could not be allocated to any known BGC, highlighting the metabolic potency and diversity of this strain. Meanwhile, based on a comprehensive analysis of fermentation conditions, we confirmed that the presence of environmental iron was inversely correlated with antimicrobial characteristics of the strain M7, presumably due to the interference in the biosynthetic pathway or bioactive mechanisms of the antimicrobial components, e.g., terramide A and B. Our observations provide genomic and biochemical insight into the metabolic and ecological novelties of this strain, underpinning the diversity of biosynthetic flexibility and adaptive strategies of marine Aspergillus fungi.