Aspergillus flavus is a fungal pathogen which infects maize crops and produces aflatoxin thus bringing about huge losses in crop production. Developing biocontrol agents against Aspergillus flavus has been the best strategy for the control of contamination in the fields. The aim of this study was to evaluate the biocontrol potential of Aspergillus giganteus against A. flavus by in vitro coculture studies. The effect of antagonism was studied by varying the carbon and nitrogen sources and under different interacting conditions of pH, temperature and water activities. The conidia production by A. flavus during coculture conditions favourable for antagonism was also assessed. A significantly notable growth inhibition of about 86.1% was brought about by A. giganteus in the coculture, which surrounded the mycelia of pathogenic A. flavus, arresting its growth. A maximum inhibition of 86.1% was observed when sucrose was used as the carbon source and a significantly higher inhibition of 90.93% was seen when beef extract was used as the nitrogen source. Among the different temperatures tested, the highest inhibition was observed at 30°C which was 87.43%. An increasing trend in the inhibitions were seen with decrease in pH and water activity (a w), where, the highest inhibition was 89.75% for pH 6.0 and 94.03% for a w 0.846. Drastic reductions in conidial number and halting of sclerotia production was observed in coculture clearly suggesting that A. giganteus will serve to be a potent and promising biocontrol strain under different environmental conditions.
Aspergillosis is a dreadful fungal infection and are more predominant in clinical fields. Due to the limitation of antifungal drugs, there is an emergence to develop efficient antifungal compounds from natural sources. Hence, the present study deals with the validation of active compounds from Aspergillus giganteus against aspergillosis causing Aspergillus fumigatus. The most prominent antifungal proteins in Aspergillus giganteus are sarcin, thionin and chitinase. Initially, the bioavailability and toxicological properties of sarcin, thionin, chitinase and their derivatives were screened. The molecular interaction of the screened antifungal proteins against the target proteins (UDP-N-acetylglucosamine pyrophosphorylase, N-myristoyl transferase and Chitinase) of Aspergillus fumigatus was performed using Schrodinger module. The antagonistic potential of antifungal compounds on the pathogen was confirmed by SEM. The integrity of Aspergillus fumigatus cell membrane and nuclear membrane treated with antifungal compounds were analysed by determining the release of cellular materials. Further, the GC-MS profiling of volatile bioactive compounds were analysed. The results have proved the efficiency of selected compounds for their pharmacokinetic properties. Molecular interactions of selected compounds from Aspergillus giganteus with the virulence proteins of Aspergillus fumigatus have exhibited a good glide score and their druggable nature. The SEM analysis have envisaged the shrunken and damaged spores of A. fumigatus treated with antifungal compounds. The effective concentration of antifungal compounds (AFCs) was found to be 250 µg/ml (p<0.0001). The GC-MS profiling has revealed the volatile bioactive metabolites present in Aspergillus giganteus. Conclusively, the selected antagonists from Aspergillus giganteus can be a good drug candidate to treat aspergillosis.
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