Cadinane and carotane derivatives from the marine algicolous fungus Trichoderma virens RR-dl-6-8.

Eight cadinane derivatives, trichocadinins H - N (1-7) and methylhydroheptelidate (8), and two carotane derivatives, 14-O-methyltrichocarotin G (9) and 14-O-methyl CAF-603 (10), including eight new ones (1-6, 9, and 10), were isolated from the culture of Trichoderma virens RR-dl-6-8 obtained from the organohalogen-enriched marine red alga Rhodomela confervoides. Their structures and relative configurations were established by analysis of NMR and mass spectroscopic data, and the absolute configurations were assigned on the basis of ECD curves, highlighted by the ECD diversity of carboxylic acid derivatives. Among the isolates, 1 with a halogen atom and 8, a new naturally occurring compound, are 2,3-seco-cadinane sesquiterpenes, and the epimeric 2 and 3 feature a 2-nor-cadinane skeleton. A commercially-sourced compound with the same planar structure as that of 7 has been reported in a patent, but its configuration was not given. Compounds 1-10 exhibited growth inhibition of some marine phytoplankton species.

Antimicrobial activity and active compounds of a Rhus verniciflua Stokes extract.

The Rhus verniciflua Stokes (RVS) extract is used as a traditional herbal medicine in Southeast Asian countries such as Korea and China. In the present study, one phenolic acid and six flavonoids were isolated from an 80% ethanol RVS extract to examine their antimicrobial activities. These compounds were identified as 3',4',7-trihydroxyflavone (1), methyl gallate (2), gallic acid (3), fusti (4), fisetin (5), butin (6), and sulfuretin (7) by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The antimicrobial activities of compounds 5 and 6 (at a dose of 16 µg/mL each) were superior to that of the control, cycloheximide (at a dose of 25 µg/mL), against Hypocrea nigricans; additionally, the activities of compounds 1 and 2 (at a dose of 8 µg/mL each) were superior to the control against Penicillium oxalicum. Also, chemical compounds 1 and 5 (at a dose of 16 µg/mL each) had higher activities than the control (25 µg/mL) against Trichoderma virens. Chemical compound 1 (at a dose of 8 µg/mL) had a similar activity to that of the control against Bacillus subtilis. The obtained results suggest that the RVS extract could be a promising food and nutraceutical source because of the antimicrobial properties of its phenolic compounds.

Anticancer and antimicrobial activity of mangrove derived fungi Hypocrea lixii VB1.

AIM: Mangrove is one of the oldest living tree species and its leaves are among the most extensively studied botanicals in use today. Scientific research throughout the world has found evidence to support the fact that its foliar extracts have great potential against human microbial pathogens. This study highlights the isolation of foliar fungi from Rhizophora mucronata, Avicenna officialis and Avicenna marina. METHOD: It was isolated in Sabouroud's Dextrose Agar and mass cultivation was done in Sabouroud's Dextrose broth. RESULTS: The ethyl acetate extract showed maximum antibacterial activity which inturn checked for different concentration against bacterial pathogens and anticancer activity for Hep2 and MCF7 cell line in vitro. The DNA was isolated from the fungi and the ITS region of 5.8 s RNA was sequenced and assigned to new species as they are separated from the type strains phylogenetic neighbors by sequence similarities. CONCLUSION: This preliminary screening of fungal endophytes revealed their potential to yield potent bioactive compounds for drug discovery programmes.

Anticancer and antimicrobial activity of mangrove derived fungi Hypocrea lixii VB1 / 中国天然药物

AIM@#Mangrove is one of the oldest living tree species and its leaves are among the most extensively studied botanicals in use today. Scientific research throughout the world has found evidence to support the fact that its foliar extracts have great potential against human microbial pathogens. This study highlights the isolation of foliar fungi from Rhizophora mucronata, Avicenna officialis and Avicenna marina.@*METHOD@#It was isolated in Sabouroud's Dextrose Agar and mass cultivation was done in Sabouroud's Dextrose broth.@*RESULTS@#The ethyl acetate extract showed maximum antibacterial activity which inturn checked for different concentration against bacterial pathogens and anticancer activity for Hep2 and MCF7 cell line in vitro. The DNA was isolated from the fungi and the ITS region of 5.8 s RNA was sequenced and assigned to new species as they are separated from the type strains phylogenetic neighbors by sequence similarities.@*CONCLUSION@#This preliminary screening of fungal endophytes revealed their potential to yield potent bioactive compounds for drug discovery programmes.

Identification and Characterization of Gliocladium viride Isolated from Mushroom Fly Infested Oak Log Beds Used for Shiitake Cultivation

A green mold species that has not previously been reported in Korea was isolated from oak log beds used for shiitake (Lentinula edodes) cultivation that were infested by mushroom flies. In this study, we identify the mold species as Gliocladium viride (an anamorph of Hypocrea lutea) and describe its mycological properties. The fungus was cottony on both potato dextrose agar (PDA) and Czapek yeast extract agar (CYA), but was colored white on PDA and became yellowish green and brown on CYA. Mycelial growth on PDA attained a diameter of 73 mm at 30degrees C after 5 days. The fungus grew faster on malt extract agar (> 80 mm, 5 days at 25degrees C) compared to CYA and PDA (< 68 mm, 5 days at 25degrees C). Penicillate conidiophores of the fungus are hyaline, smooth walled, branching above typically in four stages, and 120~240 microm in length. Club-shaped or slender phialides are formed on the metulae. Conidia of the fungus were ovate and elliptic, yellowish brown and green, and 2.5~3.0 microm x 1.8~2.3 microm in size. Typically, slimy conidia are formed in a mass and colored brown to dark green to almost black. The internal transcribed spacer rDNA and translation elongation factor 1 alpha gene sequences of the fungus isolated here show 99% identity with previously identified G. viride strains.

Evaluation of a Hypocrea jecorina enzyme preparation for hydrolysis of Tifton 85 bermudagrass.

Tifton 85 bermudagrass, developed at the ARS-USDA in Tifton, GA, is grown on over ten million acres in the USA for hay and forage. Of the bermudagrass cultivars, Tifton 85 exhibits improved digestibility because the ratio of ether- to ester-linked phenolic acids has been lowered using traditional plant breeding techniques. A previously developed pressurized batch hot water (PBHW) method was used to treat Tifton 85 bermudagrass for enzymatic hydrolysis. Native grass (untreated) and PBHW-pretreated material were compared as substrates for fungal cultivation to produce enzymes. Cellulase activity, measured via the filter paper assay, was higher for fungi cultivated on PBHW-pretreated grass, whereas the other nine enzyme assays produced higher activities for the untreated grass. Ferulic acid and vanillin levels increased significantly for the enzyme preparations produced using PBHW-pretreated grass and the release of these phenolic compounds may have contributed to the observed reduction in enzyme activities. Culture supernatant from Tifton 85 bermudagrass-grown fungi were combined with two commercial enzyme preparations and the enzyme activity profiles are reported. The amount of reducing sugar liberated by the enzyme mixture from Hypocrea jecorina (after 192 h incubation with untreated bermudagrass) individually or in combination with feruloyl esterase was 72.1 and 84.8%, respectively, of the commercial cellulase preparation analyzed under the same conditions.