The emergence of antibiotic-resistant micro-organisms calls for inventive research and development strategies. Inhibition of these pathogenic micro-organisms may be a promising therapeutic approach. The screening of antimicrobial compounds from endophytes is a promising way to meet the increasing threat of drug-resistant strains of human and plant pathogens. In the present study, a total of 20 endophytic fungi and 23 endophytic actinomycetes have been isolated from wheat (Triticum durum). Mohamed Ben Bachir variety collected from Bordj Bou Arreridj region (Algeria) during winter 2010. The isolates were screened and evaluated for their antimicrobial and antioxidant activities. Antimicrobial activity was evaluated for crude ethyl acetate extracts using an agar diffusion assay against twelve pathogenic bacteria, yeast, and two phytopathogenic fungi. All extracts showed inhibitory activity on at least one or more pathogenic microorganisms, with an average zone of inhibition varied between 7 mm to 25 mm, and the largest zone was of 25 and 25.3 mm against candida albicans and Escherichia coli respectively. The antioxidant capacity of the extracts was evaluated by β-carotene/linoleic acid assay. Results showed that 60% of these extracts have antioxidant activity, exhibiting 50, 57% to 78, 96% inhibitions. While the inhibitory activity for oxidation of linoleic acid of 40% of them was less than 50%. From the present work it is possible to conclude that these microorganisms could be promising source of bioactive compounds, and warrant further study.

Increasingly, the flavonoids becoming the subject of biomedical researches, and many groups have isolated and identified the structures of flavonoids possessing important biological activities. This assess investigates the antimicrobial fight and the antioxidant strengths of flavonoids extracted from Pistacia lentiscus L. leaves.  The extract was first analyzed for its phenolic content, then the flavonoids were tested for their antimicrobial capacities by the method of diffusion against fourteen bacteria, two fungi and one yeast. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and the minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) of flavonoids were determined using the dilution method on solid medium, however, the antioxidant activity was evaluated through the ability of the extract to scavenge DPPH (1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl) radicals and the reducing power essay. The results indicate that flavonoids extract contain other phenolics groups. On the other side, the Antibacterial tests exhibited different activities depending on the strains. Unlike, the MIC and the MBC showed that the flavonoids extract showed a best activity against Candida albicans and Vibrio cholerae. Concerning antioxidant activity, the results indicate a moderate capacity of the flavonoid extract. These preliminary results may justify the use of this plant in the treatment of some diseases and may be exploited for therapeutic purposes. Keywords: Antimicrobial, Antioxidant, Pistacia lentiscus, flavonoids, MIC, MBC.

The in vitro antibacterial activity of the endophytic fungus Aspergillus neobridgeri PLR9 (isolated from the plant Pistacia lentiscus) against a wide range of tested bacteria were studied. The maximum inhibitory activity was found on malt extract agar medium with a mean inhibitory zone of 11.3 mm (p<0.05). The ethyl acetate extract showed a significant inhibitory zone of 13.4 mm (p<0.05), followed by dichloromethane 9.1 mm. Whereas, n-hexane extract showed no activity. The largest inhibition zones were observed against Staphylococcus aureus 3, S. aureus 5 and Escherichia coli 1 with 21.0 mm of diameter. The MIC's were ranged between 312.5 and 1,250 μg/mL. The MBC's were ≤2500 μg/mL for most Gram positive bacteria and ≥2500 μg/mL for most Gram negative bacteria. Time kill assay study against the Enterococcus faecium showed a bactericidal effect at 4x MIC and bacteriostatic against Acinetobacter baumannii at different concentrations. Moreover, it is the first report, PLR9 isolated as endophyte and studied for their antimicrobial activity.

In the present study, an endophytic fungus with a considerable antimicrobial activity was isolated from the medicinal plant Mentha Pulegium L. The morphological and molecular identification revealed that this fungus is a Penicillium griseofulvum. A preliminary screening was done to choose the suitable culture medium for a maximum production of the bioactive compounds using the dual-culture agar diffusion assay. The malt extract agar (MEA) and potato dextrose agar (PDA) media were the suitable, and the MEA was selected for the further study. Extraction was done with three solvents, n-Hexane, dichloromethane and ethyl acetate, and the crude extracts were tested against Gram-positive and negative bacteria. A high activity was found with ethyl acetate and dichloromethane crude extracts against all bacteria with a maximal inhibition zones of 45.5 and 41 mm respectively obtained against Escherichia coli. The minimum inhibitory and bactericidal concentrations (MIC, MBC) of ethyl acetate crude extract were evaluated using the broth micro-dilution method. A MIC of 50 µg / ml on Gramnegative bacteria and of 100 µg / ml on Gram-positive bacteria was found. The MBC S ranged from 50 and 200 µg/ml. The time kill study has revealed a bactericidal activity of the Penicillium griseofulvum crude extract. At 24 h and for all concentrations (MIC× 2 and MIC× 4), 100% killing of the bacterial cells was achieved. These results prove that the extract of Penicillium griseofulvum can be a promising source of important bioactive molecules.

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