Endophytic Aspergillus fumigatiaffinis: Novel paclitaxel production and optimization insights.

This study investigated the potential of endophytic fungi to produce paclitaxel (Taxol®), a potent anticancer compound widely employed in chemotherapy. This research aimed to identify, confirm, and characterize endophytic fungi capable of paclitaxel (PTX) production and assess their paclitaxel yield. Additionally, it aimed to investigate factors influencing paclitaxel production. A total of 100 endophytic fungal isolates were collected and identified from the roots of Artemisia judaica. Aspergillus fumigatiaffinis exhibited the highest PTX production (26.373 µg L-1) among the isolated endophytic fungi. The strain was identified as A. fumigatiaffinis (Accession No. PP235788.1). Molecular identification confirmed its novelty, representing the first report of PTX production by A. fumigatiaffinis, an endophyte of Artemisia judaica. Optimization through full factorial design of experiments (DOE) and response surface methodology (RSM) significantly enhanced PTX production to 110.23 µg L-1 from 1 g of dry weight of the fungal culture under optimal conditions of pH 8.0, 150 µg L-1 becozyme supplementation, and 18 days of fermentation in potato dextrose broth. The presence of paclitaxel was confirmed using thin layer chromatography, high performance liquid chromatography, and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. These findings maximize the role of endophytic fungus to produce a secondary metabolite that might be able to replace the chemically produced PTX and gives an opportunity to provide a sustainable source of PTX eco-friendly at high concentrations. KEY POINTS: • Endophytic fungi, like A. fumigatiaffinis, show promise for eco-friendly paclitaxel production • Optimization strategies boost paclitaxel yield significantly, reaching 110.23 µg L -1 • Molecular identification confirms novelty, offering a sustainable PTX source.

Eco-friendly synthesis of silver nanoparticles using Eisenia bicyclis seaweed, their antimicrobial and anticancer activities.

Silver nanoparticle (AgNPs) production with antibacterial and antitumor properties is an important application in the medical field. This study introduces a novel organism that can be used for the large-scale production of AgNPs. The edible brown alga Eisenia bicyclis was used as a reducing agent to biosynthesize stable AgNPs. In this study, we achieved producing 50 mg AgNPs using only 1 g dried E. bicyclis seaweed. AgNP biosynthesis was performed at optimized conditions of a reaction temperature of 90°C, a seaweed extract concentration of 0.4%, and an AgNO3 concentration of 0.5 mM within 20 min, and the results showed that the formed nanoparticles are spherical and monodispersed with an average size 18.5 ± 1.2 nm. The antibacterial activity of biosynthesized AgNPs was evaluated against some human clinical pathogens. Results showed that AgNPs had antibacterial activity against all tested bacterial strains, with the appearance of a clear zone equal to or larger than positive controls. Also, there was a concentration-dependent growth inhibition of in vitro cultured breast cancer cells treated with AgNPs and overexpression of p53 and Bax, and underexpression of Bcl-2. AgNPs synthesized by this method provide a potential source for antibacterial and anticancer applications.