Leishmanicidal, trypanocidal, and cytotoxic activities of endophytic fungi associated with bioactive plants in Brazil

Abstract

One hundred and twenty-one isolates of endophytic fungi were recovered from leaves of the bioactive Brazilian plant species Ageratum myriadenia, Palicourea tetraphylla, Piptadenia adiantoides, and Trixis vauthieri. All fungal isolates were cultivated in liquid media and crude extracts were obtained with ethyl acetate. The crude extracts were tested in bioassay panels using Leishmania amazonensis, Trypanosoma cruzi, the enzyme trypanothione reductase (TryR) from Trypanosoma cruzi, and three human cancer cell lines. Thirty-three extracts (27.2%) exhibited at least one biological activity. Seventeen extracts (14%) were cytotoxic against one or more human cancer cell line with the IC 50 values ranged of >0.2 to 25 µg/mL. Twenty-four extracts (19.8%) inhibited the activity of TryR, and three showed ability to inhibit the growth of T. cruzi above 60% and their IC 50 values ranged among 1 to 10 µg/mL. Eleven extracts (9%) were able to inhibit the growth of L. amazonensis and showed with IC 50 values ranged among 4.6 to 24.4 µg/mL. The endophytic fungi were identified as belonging to the genera Alternaria, Arthrinium, Cochliobolus, Colletotrichum, Penicillium, Fusarium, and Gibberella. An interesting result was obtained for the bioactive isolates UFMGCB 508, 537, 899 and 903, which were related to fungi associated with medicinal plants native to Asia, Australia, Africa, and Polynesia. These results indicate that bioactive plants living in Brazilian ecosystems are a potential host of endophytic fungi able to produce bioactive prototype molecules for drug development against neglected tropical diseases.

Diversity and Biological Activities of Endophytic Fungi Associated with Micropropagated Medicinal Plant <i>Echinacea purpurea</i> (L.) Moench

“…The genus Colletotrichum includes several morphologically similar taxa and can be found as phytopathogenic, saprophytic, and endophytic species [22]. Similar findings have been reported for the species of the genus Fusarium, which was reported as endophytes symbionts associated with orchids [23] and angiosperms [5]. An interesting isolate found in E. purpurea was the phylotype M. indicus, a tropical to subtropical species, which generally cause necrosis on leaves of many monocotyledonous plants [24].…”

“…Different plant tissues were subjected to surface sterilisation according to protocols established by Rosa et al [5]. The fragments were inoculated on Petri plates containing potato dextrose agar (PDA; Sigma/ USA) supplemented with chloramphenicol at 200 µg/ml (Sigma/USA).…”

“…Various studies have demonstrated that the endophytic fungal communities associated with medicinal plants produce several bioactive compounds with different biological activities such as antimicrobial, cytotoxic, immunesuppressive and anti-parasitic to protect the host [4][5][6]. Echinacea is the second top-selling botanical supplement in the US market due to immune modulator properties [7].…”

Phytosterols isolated from endophytic fungus Colletotrichum gloeosporioides(Melanconiaceae)

“…The mechanism of interaction between the endophytic fungi and their host plants has still not been completely understood, mainly from the stand point of chemistry, since it has been known that they live in a neutral or even mutualistic interaction with host plants. Fungi are good producers of secondary metabolites, many with the same biological activity (Rosa et al 2010;Chandra 2012;Pinheiro et al 2013), where some compounds may help the host plant with combating infestation by other fungi, viruses and bacteria (Faeth and Saari 2012;Kusari et al 2013). …”

Antimicrobial Activity of Endophytes from Brazilian Medicinal Plants

“…Two novel benzopyrans have been isolated from Curvularia sp., an endophytic fungus from Ocotea corymbosa showed weak in vitro antifungal activity against Cladosporium sphaerospermum and C. cladosporioides (Teles et al, 2006). Endophytic fungi recovered from leaves of the bioactive Brazilian plant species Ageratum myriadenia, Palicourea tetraphylla, Piptadenia adiantoides and Trixis vauthieri could be a promising source of antitumoral, leishmanicidal and trypanocidal secondary metabolites, which could be used for the development of new drugs (Rosa et al, 2010). Dendryol E and dendryol F, two novel anthraquinone derivatives, have also been isolated from Phoma sorghina, endophyte found in association with the medicinal plant Tithonia diversifolia (Borges & Pupo, 2006).…”