Cytotoxic activities of acetoxyscirpenediol and ergosterol peroxide from Paecilomyces tenuipes

Olymon K., Abbas E., Kumari A., Kumar A.

The development of biopesticides and biofertilizers has marked a paradigm shift in modern agriculture, emphasizing sustainable and eco-friendly practices. This evolution stems from advances in microbial ecology, which explores the intricate relationships between microorganisms and their environments. Concurrently, the emergence of environmental microbiology has played a pivotal role in understanding the diverse roles of microbes in addressing environmental challenges. Biopesticides, derived from naturally occurring microorganisms, offer an alternative to chemical pesticides, minimizing ecological impact and promoting agricultural sustainability. Similarly, biofertilizers, comprising beneficial microbes, enhance nutrient availability and soil health, fostering a more balanced ecosystem. Moreover, environmental microbiology extends these principles to address broader environmental issues, showcasing significant applications of microbes in remediation processes. By harnessing beneficial microorganisms, agricultural stakeholders can improve soil quality, minimize ecological impacts, and enhance overall agricultural productivity in an environmentally sustainable manner. This chapter explores the development of biopesticides and biofertilizers and highlights the emerging field of environmental microbiology, focusing on microbial bioremediation and the intricate relationships between microorganisms and their environments.

Chhipa H., Singh H., Deshmukh S.K.

Addressing agricultural pests and pathogens in an eco-friendly manner is a major aspect of sustainable development goals. The escalating resistance of pests and pathogens to chemical pesticides, coupled with their detrimental environmental impact, poses a significant concern within the scientific community. There is an urgent need for further research into the development of effective biocontrol agents tailored to the present-day challenges facing soil and surrounding ecosystems. Paecilomyces demonstrates considerable promise in offering eco-friendly solutions for controlling pathogenic bacteria, fungi, insect pests, and nematodes, while simultaneously enhancing the quality and yield of agricultural produce. This fungus produces a diverse array of secondary metabolites, such as alkaloids, polyketides, peptides, terpenoids, steroids, fatty acids, and enzymes, which exhibit broad-spectrum activities including antimicrobial, insecticidal, nematicidal, and cytotoxic properties, effectively curbing pathogen growth. The entomopathogenic characteristics of Paecilomyces render it particularly effective against specific insect pests and nematodes. Its mechanisms of pest and pathogen control, including parasitism, antibiosis, and competitive exclusion, enhance its efficacy as a biocontrol agent. Moreover, its production of phytohormones contributes to its soil conditioning properties. In this chapter, we explore the role of Paecilomyces as a potential biocontrol agent in thwarting the proliferation of agricultural adversaries in an environmentally sustainable manner.

Elshamy A.I., Essa A.F., Sabt A., Abd El-Razek M.H., Gaara A.H., Shaban A.E., Hegazy M.F., Umeyama A.

Dutta D., Singh N.S., Aggarwal R., Verma A.K.

Background: Cancer, a predominant cause of mortality, poses a formidable challenge in our pursuit of elevating life expectancy. Throughout history, individuals have sought natural remedies with minimal side effects as an appealing substitute for chemotherapeutic drugs. One such remedy is Cordyceps militaris, a renowned medicinal mushroom deeply entrenched in Asian ethnomedicine. Revered for its rejuvenating and curative attributes, it relied upon for ages. Objective: The mushroom’s soaring demand outpaced natural availability, necessitating controlled laboratory cultivation as the core focus and exploring the potential of methanolic extracts from harvested Cordyceps militaris fruiting bodies against Dalton's Lymphoma Ascites (DLA) cells in vitro, with a specific emphasis on its anticancer traits. Methods: For cultivation, we employed a diverse range of rice substrates, among which bora rice showed promising growth of C. militaris fruiting bodies. To assess DLA cell cytotoxicity, several assays, including trypan blue exclusion assay, MTT assay, and LDH assay, were employed at different time points (24-96 h), which provided valuable insights on DLA cell viability and proliferation, shedding light on its therapeutic potential against cancer. Results: Our studies unveiled that methanolic extract prompts apoptosis in DLA cells via AO/EB dual staining, manifesting consistent apoptosis indicators such as membrane blebbing, chromatin condensation, nuclei fragmentation, and cellular shrinkage at 48-96 h of treatment. Furthermore, these striking repercussions of apoptosis were comprehended by an in silico approach having molecular docking simulation against antiapoptotic proteins like BCL-2, BCL-XL, MCL-1, BFL-1 & HSP100. Conclusion: Methanolic C. militaris extracts exhibited cytotoxicity and apoptotic alterations in DLA cells

Sirimangkalakitti N., Lin J., Harada K., Setiawan A., Arisawa M., Arai M.

The fungal genus Trichoderma is a rich source of structurally diverse secondary metabolites with remarkable pharmaceutical properties. The chemical constituents and anticancer activities of the marine-derived fungus Trichoderma lixii have never been investigated. In this study, a bioactivity-guided investigation led to the isolation of eleven compounds, including trichodermamide A (1), trichodermamide B (2), aspergillazine A (3), DC1149B (4), ergosterol peroxide (5), cerebrosides D/C (6/7), 5-hydroxy-2,3-dimethyl-7-methoxychromone (8), nafuredin A (9), and harzianumols E/F (10/11). Their structures were identified by using various spectroscopic techniques and compared to those in the literature. Notably, compounds 2 and 5–11 were reported for the first time from this species. Evaluation of the anticancer activities of all isolated compounds was carried out. Compounds 2, 4, and 9 were the most active antiproliferative compounds against three cancer cell lines (human myeloma KMS-11, colorectal HT-29, and pancreas PANC-1). Intriguingly, compound 4 exhibited anti-austerity activity with an IC50 of 22.43 μM against PANC-1 cancer cells under glucose starvation conditions, while compound 2 did not.

Banik B.K., Das A.

Fungi natural compounds are eukaryotic organisms belonging to the plant and animal world. They usually obtain their food and nutrition by absorbing and decaying organic substances. The kingdom of fungi has numerous organisms. Little is known about fungi from a scientific point of view. Surprisingly, these are found in ecological niches and they are the second largest kingdom after bacteria. This chapter focuses on the anticancer activity of natural compounds from fungi, their chemistry, mechanisms of action, and other pharmacological activity.

Jiang H., Yan Y., Ding Z., Cai S., Yin T.

A systematic investigation on the secondary metabolites of Delphinium-associated fungus Paecilomyces marquandii afforded eight compounds, including six sorbicillinoid polyketides (1–6) and two ergosterol sterols (7–8). Among them, six compounds (1–5, 8) were identified for the first time from the genus Paecilomyces, and seven compounds (1–5, 7–8) have not previously been found in the fungus P. marquandii. The chemotaxonomic significance of these compounds was discussed. Some of the isolates (2, 5, and 6) showed limited distribution and could serve as chemotaxonomic markers to facilitate strain identification of P. marquandii.

Gafforov Y., Deshmukh S.K., Verekar S.A., Tomšovský M., Yarasheva M., Chen J., Langer E., Rapior S.

Fomitopsis betulina (Bull.) B.K. Cui, M.L. Han & Y.C. Dai; Fomitopsis pinicola (Sw.) P. Karst. - FOMITOPSIDACEAE

Feiqian D., Jiachan Z., Wenjing C., Luyao L., Meng L., Changtao W.

Hawar S.N., Taha Z.K., Hamied A.S., Al-Shmgani H.S., Sulaiman G.M., Elsilk S.E.

Biologically active natural compounds are molecules produced by plants or plant-related microbes, such as endophytes. Many of these metabolites have a wide range of antimicrobial activities and other pharmaceutical properties. This study aimed to evaluate (in vitro) the antifungal activities of the secondary metabolites obtained from Paecilomyces sp. against the pathogenic fungus Rhizoctonia solani. The endophytic fungus Paecilomyces was isolated from Moringa oleifera leaves and cultured on potato dextrose broth for the production of the fungal metabolites. The activity of Paecilomyces filtrate against the radial growth of Rhizoctonia solani was tested by mixing the filtrate with potato dextrose agar medium at concentrations of 15%, 30%, 45%, and 60%, for which the percentages of inhibition of the radial growth were 37.5, 50, 52.5, and 56.25%, respectively. The dual culture method was conducted on PDA medium to observe the antagonistic nature of the antibiotic impacts of Paecilomyces sp. towards the pathogenic fungus. The strength of the antagonistic impacts was manifested by a 76.25% inhibition rate, on a scale of 4 antagonistic levels. Ethyl acetate extract of Paecilomyces sp. was obtained by liquid-liquid partition of the broth containing the fungus. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis identified the presence of important chemical components e.g., (E) 9, cis-13-Octadecenoic acid, methyl ester (48.607), 1-Heptacosanol, 1-Nonadecene, Cyclotetracosane (5.979), 1,2-Benzenedicarboxylic acid, butyl 2-methylpropyl ester, di-sec-butyl phthalate (3.829), 1-Nonadecene, n-Nonadecanol-1, Behenic alcohol (3.298), n-Heptadecanol-1, 1-hexadecanol, n-Pentadecanol (2.962), Dodecanoic acid (2.849), 2,3-Dihydroxypropyl ester, oleic acid, 9-Octadecenal, and (Z)-(2.730). These results suggest that secondary metabolites of the endophytic Paecilomyces possess antifungal properties and could potentially be utilized in various applications, such as environmental protection and medicine.

Qu S., Xie J., Wang J., Li G., Pan X., Zhao P.

Many active metabolites have been identified from various species of the fungal genus Cordyceps. A predominant species of this genus is Cordyceps gunnii, but there are limited reports on the active ingredients from this species. This study aimed to conduct activity assays and metabolome analysis on extracts of C. gunnii obtained under different culture conditions. Five different solid media were selected to culture the mycelium of C. gunnii and the metabolites were extracted with organic solvents; concurrently, the wild stroma and host complexes of C. gunnii were extracted by ethyl acetate. Extracts were subsequently assayed for various biological activities and were analyzed by untargeted metabolomics. There were significant differences in the activities and metabolites of C. gunnii extracts from different culture conditions and from wild stroma and host complexes. The extracts of stroma and host complexes and mycelia cultured on WGA medium for 21 days exhibited similar effective inhibitory activity against five cell lines. A total of 51 metabolites were annotated and included various structural types. The literatures indicate that most of the identified compounds have a variety of different biological activities. These findings provide the basis for further systematic excavation of C. gunnii and improved utilization of this fungal species.

Li T., Qiu Z., Yih Lee S., Li X., Gao J., Jiang C., Huang L., Liu J.

Agarwood is originated from the resinous part of Aquilaria and Gyrinops plants and has been a precious biomaterial for applications in traditional medicine, perfumery, cosmetics, and religious purposes all over the world. In the wild, the formation of agarwood is related to the defense mechanism of the tree in response to physical damage that allows further microbial infestation into its wood, while having the whole tree covered with agarwood would take up a long time, and it rarely happens. For Aquilaria and Gyrinops , the presence of endophytes is mainly found derived from the tree. The isolated endophytes could be important sources of natural products, while some could contribute to the formation of agarwood in the tree, which is safe for the environment and human health. This review summarized the biodiversity of fungal endophytes recorded in Aquilaria and Gyrinops and their potential effects on host trees. Till now, 67 endophytic genera have been isolated from Aquilaria and Gyrinops , and 18 ones were found responsible for the promotion of agarwood formation. Additionally, 92 compounds have been reported to be produced by the agarwood endophytes, and 52 ones displayed biological activities, most of which have anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, and anti-cancer activities. Nevertheless, fungal endophytes are promising agents that deserved to be further studied and scaled up to a commercial level for the production of agarwood oil, but the role of endophytes in the agarwood host trees needs to be furtherly investigated in future studies.

Buonanno F., Trenti F., Achille G., Vallesi A., Guella G., Ortenzi C.

Heterotrich ciliates typically retain toxic substances in specialized ejectable organelles, called extrusomes, which are used in predator-prey interactions. In this study, we analysed the chemical defence strategy of the freshwater heterotrich ciliate Stentor polymorphus against the predatory ciliate Coleps hirtus, and the microturbellarian flatworm Stenostomum sphagnetorum. The results showed that S. polymorphus is able to defend itself against these two predators by deploying a mix of bioactive sterols contained in its extrusomes. Sterols were isolated in vivo and characterized by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS), and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), as ergosterol, 7-dehydroporiferasterol, and their two peroxidized analogues. The assessment of the toxicity of ergosterol and ergosterol peroxide against various organisms, indicated that these sterols are essential for the effectiveness of the chemical defence in S. polymorphus.

Ha N., Mun S., Im S., Jang H., Jeong H., Kang K., Park K., Seo K., Ban S., Kim K., Yee S.

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has been estimating the potential of insects as human food since 2010, and for this reason, Tenebrio molitor larvae, also called mealworms, have been explored as an alternative protein source for various foods. In this study, in order to increase nutrient contents and improve preference as an alternative protein source, we fermented the T. molitor larvae by Cordyceps militaris mycelia. T. molitor larvae were prepared at optimal conditions for fermentation and fermented with C. militaris mycelia, and we analyzed T. molitor larvae change in functionality with proximate composition, β-glucan, cordycepin, adenosine, and free amino acids content. T. molitor larvae fermented by C. militaris mycelia showed higher total protein, total fiber, and β-glucan content than the unfermented larvae. In addition, the highest cordycepin content (13.75 mg/g) was observed in shaded dried T. molitor larvae fermented by C. militaris mycelia. Additionally, the isolated cordycepin from fermented T. molitor larvae showed similar cytotoxicity as standard cordycepin when treated with PC-9 cells. Therefore, we report that the optimized methods of T. molitor larvae fermented by C. militaris mycelia increase total protein, total fiber, β-glucan and produce the amount of cordycepin content, which can be contributed to healthy food and increase T. molitor larvae utilization.

Adeeyo A.O., Alabi M.A., Bamigboye C.O., Adeeyo R.O., Odiyo J.O.

Mushrooms are among the few natural products that have been relied upon for prophylactic and therapeutic applications in human diseases. They have been referred to as forest gems since they can be picked in the wild or better domesticated for appropriate use. Several scientific studies have been conducted to establish claimed potentials or further probe new areas into which mushrooms can find application. Many disciplines, including mycology, microbiology, physiology, chemistry, genetics, and medicine, among others, conduct research on mushrooms. These enable broad and in-depth studies of mushrooms, to include in vitro and in vivo demonstrations of their bioactivity, structural characterization, and isolation of bioactive components. This chapter highlights the bioactive composition of mushrooms by relating structure to bioactivity and demonstrating therapeutic effects on some human diseases using existing literature. The potentials of mushrooms or their products for the treatment or management of diseases, such as tropical illnesses and COVID-19 pandemic, among other issues, have been discussed. Chemistry of bioactive compounds, structure–activity relationships, patents, and analyses of data obtained have been reported and studied for interpretation of results.