Antifungal activity of the endophytic Aspergillus against Candida albicans
Keywords:
Aspergillus; bioactive molecules; Candida albicans; endophyte; extraction; medicinal plants
Abstract
Medicinal plants remain a reliable source of bioactive compound principles known for their proven therapeutic abilities against various infectious diseases. Endophytes, microorganisms residing within plant tissues, hold promise for producing novel metabolites with potential medical applications. This study analyzes the antagonism of endophytic fungi Aspergillus sp., isolated from medicinal plants, and their extract against Candida albicans, and their effectiveness was compared with that of a medical treatment, Phanazol 1% ointment. After isolating, purifying, and identifying endophytic fungi from the medicinal plants Lavandula officinalis, Rosmarinus officinalis, Eucalyptus bicolor and Mentha piprita, a total of ten endophytic fungi were obtained. These included two yeasts (yeast and Rhodotorula sp.), as well as eight moulds (Aspergillus sp., Aspergillus niger, Nigrospora sp., Curvularia sp., Alternaria sp., Penicillium sp.), and sterile mycelium. All these fungi were tested for their antagonism against C. albicans; using the cross-streak and disk diffusion methods for yeasts and moulds respectively, with the measurement of the diameter of the growth inhibition zone of the culture. Only the strain Aspergillus sp. and its ethyl acetate extract exhibited good activity against C. albicans, with inhibition zone widths of 27.5 and 20.3 mm, respectively. Its effectiveness is comparable to that of Phanazol 1% ointment. The use of gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC/MS) unveiled the metabolite profiles of Aspergillus sp., enabling the recognition of 10 bioactive compounds, with butanedioic acid, kojic acid, and Cyclo L-prolyl-L-valine being the major ones, constituting 45.1%, 23.1%, and 5.1% of the total, respectively. These compounds serve as valuable platform chemicals that can be transformed into various other useful chemicals with various applications in agriculture, pharmaceuticals, food, cosmetics, and the healthcare industry. In addition to refining the active substances within this extract, it has the potential to open doors for creating novel bio-sourced medications aimed at addressing resistant opportunistic fungal or bacterial infections.References
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Chaudhary, R., & Tripathy, A. (2015). Isolation and identification of bioactive compounds from Irpex lacteus wild fleshy fungi. Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Research, 7(7), 424.
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Gong, L., J., & Guo, S., X. (2009). Endophytic fungi from Dracaena cambodiana and Aquilaria sinensis and their antimicrobial activity. African Journal of Biotechnology 8(5), 731–736.
Haddouchi, F., Zerhouni, K., Sidi-Yekhelef, A., & Chaouche, T. M. (2016). Évaluation de l’activité antimicrobienne de différents extraits d'Helichrysum stoechas subsp. rupestre. Bulletin de la Société Royale des Sciences de Liège, 85, 152–159.
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Manjula, K., & Podile, A. R. (2005). Production of fungal cell wall degrading enzymes by a biocontrol strain of Bacillus subtilis AF 1. Indian Journal of Experimental Biology, 43(10), 892–896.
Maria, G. L., Sridhar, K. R., & Raviraja, N. S. (2005). Antimicrobial and enzyme activity of mangrove endophytic fungi of southwest coast of India. Journal of Agricultural Technology, 1(1), 67–80.
Martinez-Klimova, E., Rodríguez-Peña, K., & Sánchez, S. (2017). Endophytes as sources of antibiotics. Biochemical Pharmacology, 134, 1–17.
Mohamed, H., Miloud, B., Zohra, F., García-Arenzana, J. M., Veloso, A., & Rodríguez-Couto, S. (2017). Isolation and characterization of actinobacteria from Algerian Sahara soils with antimicrobial activities. International Journal of Molecular and Cellular Medicine, 6(2), 109.
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Nacef, H. S., Ferdjioui, S., Chaibi, S., & Ramla, K. (2022). Activité antimicrobienne des champignons endophytes et de l’huile essentielle de la plante médicinale Lavandula officinalis: Étude comparative. Agrobiologia, 12(2), 3192–3203.
Orhan, D. D., Orhan, N., Ozcelik, B., & Ergun, F. (2009). Biological activities of Vitis vinifera L. leaves. Turkish Journal of Biology, 33(1), 341–348.
Orole, O. O., & Adejumo, T. O. (2009). Activity of fungal endophytes against four maizewilt pathogens. African Journal of Microbiology Research, 3(12), 969–973.
Perez-Rodriguez, A., Eraso, E., Quindós, G., & Mateo, E. (2022). Antimicrobial peptides with anti-Candida activity. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 23(16), 9264.
Pfaller, M. A. (2012). Antifungal drug resistance: Mechanisms, epidemiology, and consequences for treatment. The American Journal of Medicine, 125(S1), S3–S13.
Phongpaichit, S., Rungjindamai, N., Rukachaisirikul, V., & Sakayaroj, J. (2006). Antimicrobial activity in cultures of endophytic fungi isolated from Garcinia species. FEMS Immunology and Medical Microbiology, 48(3), 367–372.
Praveen, K. D., Anupama, P. D., Rajesh, K. S., Thenmozhi, R., Nagasathya, A., Thajuddin, N., & Paneerselvam, A. (2012). Evaluation of extracellular lytic enzymes from indigenous Bacillus isolates. International Research Journal of Microbiology, 3(2), 60–65.
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Sadrati, N., Zerroug, A., Demirel, R., Bakli, S., & Harzallah, D. (2020). Antimicrobial activity of secondary metabolites produced by Aspergillus neobridgeri isolated from Pistacia lentiscus against multi-drug resistant bacteria. Bangladesh Journal of Pharmacology, 15(3), 82–95.
Sandhu, S. S., Kumar, S., & Aharwal, R. P. (2014). Isolation and identification of endophytic fungi from Ricinus communis Linn. and their antibacterial activity. International Journal of Research in Pharmacy and Chemistry, 4(3), 611–618.
Santoyo, G., Moreno-Hagelsieb, G., del Carmen Orozco-Mosqueda, M., & Glick, B. R. (2016). Plant growth-promoting bacterial endophytes. Microbiological Research, 183, 92–99.
Selka, M. A., Chenafa, A., Achouri, M. Y., Aoued, L., Tareb, S., Nourredine, M. A., & Toumi, H. (2016). Activité antimicrobienne et antioxydante des feuilles de Vitis vinifera L. Phytothérapie, 14(6), 363–369.
Zerroug, A., Sadrati, N., Demirel, R., Bakli, S., & Harzallah, D. (2018). Antibacterial activity of endophytic fungus, Penicillium griseofulvum MPR1 isolated from medicinal plant, Mentha pulegium L.. African Journal of Microbiology Research, 12(48), 1056–1066.
Zhang, H. W., Song, Y. C., & Tan, R. X. (2006). Biology and chemistry of endophytes. Natural Product Reports, 23(5), 753–771.
Alvin, A., Miller, K. I., & Neilan, B. A. (2014). Exploring the potential of endophytes from medicinal plants as sources of antimycobacterial compounds. Microbiological Research, 169(7–8), 483–495.
Blumenthal, C. Z. (2004). Production of toxic metabolites in Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus oryzae, and Trichoderma reesei: Justification of mycotoxin testing in food grade enzyme preparations derived from the three fungi. Regulatory Toxicology and Pharmacology, 39(2), 214–228.
Buatong, J., Phongpaichit, S., Rukachaisirikul, V., & Sakayaroj, J. (2011). Antimicrobial activity of crude extracts from mangrove fungal endophytes. World Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology, 27, 3005–3008.
Chaudhary, R., & Tripathy, A. (2015). Isolation and identification of bioactive compounds from Irpex lacteus wild fleshy fungi. Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Research, 7(7), 424.
Djahra, A. B., Bordjiba, O., & Benkherara, S. (2015). Activité antibactérienne des flavonoides d’une plante médicinale spontanée Marrubium vulgare L. de la région d’El Tarf (Nord-Est Algérien). Synthèse: Revue des Sciences et de la Technologie, 24, 29–37.
Gong, L., J., & Guo, S., X. (2009). Endophytic fungi from Dracaena cambodiana and Aquilaria sinensis and their antimicrobial activity. African Journal of Biotechnology 8(5), 731–736.
Haddouchi, F., Zerhouni, K., Sidi-Yekhelef, A., & Chaouche, T. M. (2016). Évaluation de l’activité antimicrobienne de différents extraits d'Helichrysum stoechas subsp. rupestre. Bulletin de la Société Royale des Sciences de Liège, 85, 152–159.
Janso, J. E., & Carter, G. T. (2010). Biosynthetic potential of phylogenetically unique endophytic actinomycetes from tropical plants. Applied and Environmental Microbiology, 76(13), 4377–4386.
Kapadia, C., Kachhdia, R., Singh, S., Gandhi, K., Poczai, P., Alfarraj, S., Ansari, M. J., Gafur, A., & Sayyed, R. Z. (2022). Pseudomonas aeruginosa inhibits quorum-sensing mechanisms of soft rot pathogen Lelliottia amnigena RCE to regulate its virulence factors and biofilm formation. Frontiers in Microbiology, 13, 977669.
Khan, R., Shahzad, S., Choudhary, M. I., Khan, S. A., & Ahmad, A. (2010). Communities of endophytic fungi in medicinal plant Withania somnifera. Pakistan Journal of Botany, 42(2), 1281–1287.
Larran, S., Simon, M. R., Moreno, M. V., Siurana, M. S., & Perelló, A. (2016). Endophytes from wheat as biocontrol agents against tan spot disease. Biological Control, 92, 17–23.
Li, W. C., Zhou, J., Guo, S. Y., & Guo, L. D. (2007). Endophytic fungi associated with lichens in Baihua mountain of Beijing, China. Fungal Diversity, 25, 69–80.
Madki, M. A., Manzoor, A. S., Powar, P. V., & Patil, K. S. (2010). Isolation and biological activity of endophytic fungi from Withania somnifera. International Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2(3), 848–858.
Manjula, K., & Podile, A. R. (2005). Production of fungal cell wall degrading enzymes by a biocontrol strain of Bacillus subtilis AF 1. Indian Journal of Experimental Biology, 43(10), 892–896.
Maria, G. L., Sridhar, K. R., & Raviraja, N. S. (2005). Antimicrobial and enzyme activity of mangrove endophytic fungi of southwest coast of India. Journal of Agricultural Technology, 1(1), 67–80.
Martinez-Klimova, E., Rodríguez-Peña, K., & Sánchez, S. (2017). Endophytes as sources of antibiotics. Biochemical Pharmacology, 134, 1–17.
Mohamed, H., Miloud, B., Zohra, F., García-Arenzana, J. M., Veloso, A., & Rodríguez-Couto, S. (2017). Isolation and characterization of actinobacteria from Algerian Sahara soils with antimicrobial activities. International Journal of Molecular and Cellular Medicine, 6(2), 109.
Nacef, H. S., Belhattab, R., & Larous, L. (2020). Chemical composition, antimicrobial study against human and plant pathogenic microorganisms and optimization of bioactive metabolites produced by the new strain Aspergillus oryzae 18HG80 isolated from saline soil (El-Baida Marsh, Algeria). Journal of Microbiology Research, 10(1), 11–21.
Nacef, H. S., Ferdjioui, S., Chaibi, S., & Ramla, K. (2022). Activité antimicrobienne des champignons endophytes et de l’huile essentielle de la plante médicinale Lavandula officinalis: Étude comparative. Agrobiologia, 12(2), 3192–3203.
Orhan, D. D., Orhan, N., Ozcelik, B., & Ergun, F. (2009). Biological activities of Vitis vinifera L. leaves. Turkish Journal of Biology, 33(1), 341–348.
Orole, O. O., & Adejumo, T. O. (2009). Activity of fungal endophytes against four maizewilt pathogens. African Journal of Microbiology Research, 3(12), 969–973.
Perez-Rodriguez, A., Eraso, E., Quindós, G., & Mateo, E. (2022). Antimicrobial peptides with anti-Candida activity. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 23(16), 9264.
Pfaller, M. A. (2012). Antifungal drug resistance: Mechanisms, epidemiology, and consequences for treatment. The American Journal of Medicine, 125(S1), S3–S13.
Phongpaichit, S., Rungjindamai, N., Rukachaisirikul, V., & Sakayaroj, J. (2006). Antimicrobial activity in cultures of endophytic fungi isolated from Garcinia species. FEMS Immunology and Medical Microbiology, 48(3), 367–372.
Praveen, K. D., Anupama, P. D., Rajesh, K. S., Thenmozhi, R., Nagasathya, A., Thajuddin, N., & Paneerselvam, A. (2012). Evaluation of extracellular lytic enzymes from indigenous Bacillus isolates. International Research Journal of Microbiology, 3(2), 60–65.
Sadeghi, G., Ebrahimi-Rad, M., Mousavi, S. F., Shams-Ghahfarokhi, M., & Razzaghi-Abyaneh, M. (2018). Emergence of non-Candida albicans species: Epidemiology, phylogeny and fluconazole susceptibility profile. Journal de Mycologie Medicale, 28(1), 51–58.
Sadrati, N., Zerroug, A., Demirel, R., Bakli, S., & Harzallah, D. (2020). Antimicrobial activity of secondary metabolites produced by Aspergillus neobridgeri isolated from Pistacia lentiscus against multi-drug resistant bacteria. Bangladesh Journal of Pharmacology, 15(3), 82–95.
Sandhu, S. S., Kumar, S., & Aharwal, R. P. (2014). Isolation and identification of endophytic fungi from Ricinus communis Linn. and their antibacterial activity. International Journal of Research in Pharmacy and Chemistry, 4(3), 611–618.
Santoyo, G., Moreno-Hagelsieb, G., del Carmen Orozco-Mosqueda, M., & Glick, B. R. (2016). Plant growth-promoting bacterial endophytes. Microbiological Research, 183, 92–99.
Selka, M. A., Chenafa, A., Achouri, M. Y., Aoued, L., Tareb, S., Nourredine, M. A., & Toumi, H. (2016). Activité antimicrobienne et antioxydante des feuilles de Vitis vinifera L. Phytothérapie, 14(6), 363–369.
Zerroug, A., Sadrati, N., Demirel, R., Bakli, S., & Harzallah, D. (2018). Antibacterial activity of endophytic fungus, Penicillium griseofulvum MPR1 isolated from medicinal plant, Mentha pulegium L.. African Journal of Microbiology Research, 12(48), 1056–1066.
Zhang, H. W., Song, Y. C., & Tan, R. X. (2006). Biology and chemistry of endophytes. Natural Product Reports, 23(5), 753–771.
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2023-08-24
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