Medicinal plants have been used as an alternative medicine to promote human health and longevity in many regions of the world since ancient times. In recent years, many novel secondary metabolites from higher fungi have been isolated and reported to provide lead compounds for new drug discovery like antimicrobial, antioxidant, and anticancer agents, etc. A total of 42 endophytic fungi were isolated from 11 different medicinal plants collected from Tamil Nadu, India. The capability of medicinal plant endophytic fungi for the production of bioactive secondary metabolites was evaluated under in vitro conditions. The most frequently isolated fungi were Alternaria sp. Fusarium sp. and mycelia sterilia. The bioactive secondary metabolites of these endophytes were obtained by liquid-liquid extraction with ethyl acetate. Among which 15 showed antimicrobial activity towards potential human pathogens such as Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhi, Proteus mirabilis, Staphylococcus aureus, and Corynebacterium diphtheriae with variable zone of inhibition. Maximum secondary metabolite production with good mycelial growth and antimicrobial activity was observed in Alternaria sp. MGTMMP031. Moreover, in-vitro antioxidant and anticancer activity were also evaluated. The crude secondary metabolite was characterized by ultraviolet spectrum (UV), infrared spectrum (FT-IR) and thin layer chromatography (TLC) with R f value of 0.35 and the bioactive secondary metabolite was identified as alternariol methyl ether. The results concluded that secondary metabolite from Alternaria sp. may represent a potential ingredient for pharmaceutical application and are worthy of future study.
Aims: Medicinal plant-associated endophytic fungi are important sources of precious bioactive compounds, contributing more than 80% of the natural drugs for various ailments. The present study was aimed at evaluating the anticancer activity of the crystallized compound alternariol methyl ether (AME) against hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) both in vitro and in vivo from an endophytic fungus residing in the medicinal plant Vitex negundo. Methods and Results: The secondary metabolites from the endophytic fungus Alternaria alternata MGTMMP031 were isolated. Purification and characterization of the compound was performed and the potential compound was identified as AME. The crystal structure of AME was unambiguously confirmed by X-ray analysis. AME has been checked for its antibacterial and anticancer properties which showed its effectiveness against various bacteria and demonstrated marked anti-proliferative activity against the human HCC cells (HUH-7) both in vitro and in vivo. Mode of actions included cell cycle arrest, reducing the level of markers enzymes of liver cancer and preventing tumour growth. Conclusions: Alternariol methyl ether acts as a potential therapeutic target against HCC. The compound was isolated and the crystal structure was obtained for the first time from the endophytic fungus A. alternata MGTMMP031. In the present study, the crystallized structure of AME was obtained by slow evaporation technique. It can be concluded that AME acts as a potential therapeutic target against HCC. Significance and Impact of the Study: Endophytic fungi residing in the medicinal plants have strong biological significance and bioactive compounds from these fungi provide better therapeutic targets against diseases.
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