Antimicrobial activity of Phoma sp. URM 7221: An endophyte from Schinus terebinthifolius Raddi (Anacardiaceae)

Abstract

The discovery of new metabolites potentially bioactive against pathogenic microorganisms, mainly multidrug resistant, has aroused interest in endophytic fungi. The plant-associated microorganisms have been an important source for development of new compounds of biotechnological interest. This study aimed to investigate the antibacterial capacity of the endophytic fungus, Phoma sp. URM 7221 isolated from the medicinal plant Schinus terebinthifolius against human-pathogenic bacteria. An endophyte was isolated from S. terebinthifolius leaves. Phoma herbarum URM7221 was characterized morphologically and on the basis of ITS rDNA sequence. Primary antimicrobial activity was evaluated using the agar diffusion method and fermentation in liquid medium. Six different solvents were used to extract the active metabolites from fungal biomass and metabolic liquid. An antimicrobial activity test from the extract was carried out using a disk diffusion method with the endophytic extract containing the best antibacterial activity. Two tests were performed: Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC). Partially purified secondary metabolite extracts were analysed by thin layer chromatography (TLC). Liquid metabolically bioactive compounds extracted with petroleum ether revealed a MIC of 25 and 500 μg.mL −1 against S. aureus and MRSA, respectively. Ether and methanol extracts were assessed by chemical analyses and contained phenolic compounds, triterpenes, steroids, reducing sugars, mono-and sesquiterpenes. The thin layer chromatography assay showed the activity of different antimicrobial compounds produced by Phoma sp. URM7221. This endophyte (URM7221) could be efficiently used for production of bioactive metabolites against pathogenic microorganisms, with significant biotechnological potential.

Influence of drying with ultrasound+ethanol pre-treatment on the chemical composition of the essential oil from ripe fruits of S. terebinthifolius

“…Several biological activities have been reported for the essential oil obtained from the fruits of S. terebinthifolius, namely: antibacterial activity (Dannenberg et al, 2016), antimicrobial activity (Silva et al, 2017), antifungal activity (Braga et al, 2020), anti-inflammatory activity (Formagio et al, 2011), anticancer activity (Bendaoud et al, 2010), wound healing activity (Estevão et al, 2013), trypanocidal activity (Sartorelli et al, 2012), antioxidant activity (Dannenberg et al, 2016), and larvicidal activity .…”

“…Water is known to play a fundamental role in enabling the activities of microorganisms, enzymes, and the entire complex metabolic mechanism of plants. Therefore, to ensure the continuous availability of medicinal species for the population and preserve the integrity of the bioactive compounds present in them, and consequently their biological activities, it is essential for these species to undergo the drying process before being distributed (Silva et al, 2017;Zotti-Sperotto et al, 2021).…”

“…However, one of the main challenges of drying medicinal plants is related to the volatile and heat-sensitive nature of the bioactive compounds present in these species. In a study conducted by Silva et al (2017) on ripe and dried fruits of S. terebinthifolius, it was found that an increase in the drying air temperature had a negative impact on the fruit coloration and led to a reduction in extraction yield and the content of monoterpenes in the essential oils.…”

Diversity, Chemical Constituents and Biological Activities of Endophytic Fungi Isolated from Schinus terebinthifolius Raddi

“…The antioxidant [19][20][21][22][23] and antimicrobial [21,[23][24][25][26] activities of different parts of S. terebinthifolius have been described using different pharmacological models. However, only the endophytic fungi of S. terebinthifolius leaves [24,27,28] have been identified. In this context, this study aimed to identify the diversity of endophytic fungi present in fruits, stem bark and root of S. terebinthifolius as well as the chemical compounds and the antioxidant and antibacterial activities of the extracts of these endophytes.…”