Malaysian endophytic fungal extracts-induced anti-inflammation in Lipopolysaccharide-activated BV-2 microglia is associated with attenuation of NO production and, IL-6 and TNF-α expression.

BACKGROUND: Excessive production of inflammatory mediators such as nitric oxide (NO) and proinflammatory cytokines like tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) from activated microglia contributes to uncontrolled inflammation in neurodegenerative diseases. This study investigated the protective role of five endophytic extracts (HAB16R12, HAB16R13, HAB16R14, HAB16R18 and HAB8R24) against LPS-induced inflammatory events in vitro. These endophytic extracts were previously found to exhibit potent neuroprotective effect against LPS-challenged microglial cells. METHODS: The effects of these fungal endophytic extracts against nitric oxide (NO), CD40 phenotype and, pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokine production in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated BV2 microglia cells were examined using commercially available assay kits, immunophenotyping and flow cytometry, respectively. RESULTS: Microglia pre-treated with the five endophytic extracts (0.1 mg/mL) reduced NO production without compromising cell viability. Whilst CD40 expression in LPS-stimulated microglia was not significantly different with or without the influence of endophytic extracts, expression of the proinflammatory cytokines, IL-6 and TNF-α in LPS-stimulated microglia was significantly (P < 0.05) inhibited by these endophytic extracts. CONCLUSIONS: The outcomes suggest that the neuroprotective effect of the fungal endophytic extracts is likely mediated through supression of neuroinflammation. To our knowledge, this is the first report of the effect of a fungal endophytic extract in controlling inflammation in BV2 microglia cells.

Apoptosis induced by desmethyl-lasiodiplodin is associated with upregulation of apoptotic genes and downregulation of monocyte chemotactic protein-3.

There is growing interest in the discovery of bioactive metabolites from endophytes as an alternative source of therapeutics. Identification of their therapeutic targets is essential in understanding the underlying mechanisms and enhancing the resultant therapeutic effects. As such, bioactive compounds produced by endophytic fungi from plants at the National Park, Pahang, Malaysia, were investigated. Five known compounds were identified using LC-UV-MS-NMR and they include trichodermol, 7-epi-brefeldin A, (3R,4S)-4-hydroxymellein, desmethyl-lasiodiplodin and cytochalasin D. The present study went on to investigate the potential anticancer effects of these compounds and the corresponding molecular mechanisms of the lead compound against human breast adenocarcinoma, MCF-7. For the preliminary screening, the cytotoxicity and apoptotic effects of these compounds against MCF-7 were examined. The compounds were also tested against noncarcinogenic hepatocytes (WRL68). The differential cytotoxicity was then determined using the MTT assay. Desmethyl-lasiodiplodin was found to suppress the growth of MCF-7, yielding an inhibitory concentration (IC50) that was seven-fold lower than that of the normal cells. The cytotoxic effect of desmethyl-lasiodiplodin was accompanied by apoptosis. Subsequent analysis demonstrated increased expression levels of caspase 3, c-myc and p53. Further, desmethyl-lasiodiplodin resulted in inhibition of monocyte chemotactic protein (MCP)-3, a cytokine involved in cell survival and metastasis. Hence, this study proposed that desmethyl-lasiodiplodin inhibited growth and survival of MCF-7 through the induction of apoptosis. This anticancer effect is mediated, in part, by upregulation of apoptotic genes and downregulation of MCP-3. As desmethyl-lasiodiplodin elicited minimal impact against normal hepatocytes, our findings also imply its potential use as a specific apoptotic agent in breast cancer treatment.

Induction of apoptosis against cancer cell lines by four ascomycetes (endophytes) from Malaysian rainforest.

Endophytic fungi have been shown to be a promising source of biologically active natural products. In the present study, extracts of four endophytic fungi isolated from plants of the National Park, Pahang were evaluated for their cytotoxic activity and the nature of their active compounds determined. Those extracts exhibiting activity with IC(50) values less than 17 µg/ml against HCT116, MCF-7 and K562 cell lines were shown to induce apoptosis in these cell lines. Molecular analysis, based on sequences of the rDNA internal transcribed spacers ITS1 and ITS4, revealed all four endophytic fungi to be ascomycetes: three sordariomycetes and a dothideomycete. Six known compounds, cytochalasin J, dechlorogriseofulvin, demethylharzianic-acid, griseofulvin, harzianic acid and 2-hexylidene-3-methyl-succinic acid were identified from a rapid dereplication technique for fungal metabolites using an in-house UV library. The results from the present study suggest the potential of endophytic fungi as cytotoxic agents, and there is an indication that the isolates contain bioactive compounds that mainly kill cancer cells by apoptosis.

The isolation of a new S-methyl benzothioate compound from a marine-derived Streptomyces sp.

The application of an HPLC bioactivity profiling/microtiter plate technique in conjunction with microprobe NMR instrumentation and access to the AntiMarin database has led to the isolation of a new 1. In this example, 1 was isolated from a cytotoxic fraction of an extract obtained from marine-derived Streptomyces sp. cultured on Starch Casein Agar (SCA) medium. The 1D and 2D (1)H NMR and ESIMS data obtained from 20 µg of compound 1 fully defined the structure. The known 2 was also isolated and readily dereplicated using this approach.

BACE1 inhibitory activity of fungal endophytic extracts from Malaysian medicinal plants.

BACKGROUND: BACE1 was found to be the major ß-secretase in neurons and its appearance and activity were found to be elevated in the brains of AD patients. Fungal endophytic extracts for BACE1 inhibitory activity and cytotoxicity against PC-12 (a rat pheochromocytoma with neuronal properties) and WRL68 (a non-tumorigenic human hepatic) were investigated. METHODS: Endophytes were isolated from plants collected from Kuala Pilah, Negeri Sembilan and the National Park, Pahang and the extracts were tested for BACE1 inhibition. For investigation of biological activity, the pure endophytic cultures were cultivated for 14 days on PDA plates at 28°C and underwent semipolar extraction with ethyl acetate. RESULTS: Of 212 endophytic extracts (1000 µg/ml), 29 exhibited more than 90% inhibition of BACE1 in the preliminary screening. Four extracts from isolates HAB16R13, HAB16R14, HAB16R18 and HAB8R24 identified as Cytospora rhizophorae were the most active with IC(50(BACE1)) values of less than 3.0 µg/ml. The most active extract HAB16R13 was shown to non-competitively inhibit BACE1 with K(i) value of 10.0 µg/ml. HAB16R13 was considered non-potent against PC-12 and WRL68 (IC(50(CT))) of 60.0 and 40.0 µg/ml, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: This first report on endophytic fungal extract with good BACE1 inhibitory activity demonstrates that more extensive study is required to uncover the potential of endophytes.

Conidiogenic effects of mannose-binding lectins isolated from cotyledons of red kidney bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) on Alternaria alternata.

Effect of proteinaceous extracts from red kidney bean cotyledons on mycelium of Alternaria alternata growing on potato dextrose agar (PDA) plates was investigated. Unexpectedly, conidia formation was induced in response to applied crude extracts. A PDA disc method was developed to quantify conidia formed. A purified fraction retaining conidiation inducing effect (CIE) was obtained following several protein purification procedures including the last step of eluting bound proteins from an Affi-gel blue gel column. Based on MALDI (matrix assisted laser desorption/ionization) mass spectrometric analysis, a previously identified mannose-binding lectin (MBL) called PvFRIL (Phaseolus vulgaris fetal liver tyrosine kinase 3-receptor interacting lectin) was present in this conidiation inducing fraction. The PvFRIL was subsequently purified using a single step mannose-agarose affinity column chromatography. When the lectin was applied exogenously to A. alternata, increased conidiation resulted. The conidia produced in response to the MBL were similar to those induced by other methods and their germ tubes were longer after 12 h growth than those induced under white light. To our knowledge this is the first report of exogenous application of a PvFRIL or another purified protein from a plant inducing conidia formation in a fungus.

Pathogenicity of Aeromonas hydrophila, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Proteus mirabilis to brown tree frogs (Litoria ewingii).

Bacterial dermatosepticemia, a systemic infectious bacterial disease of frogs, can be caused by several opportunistic gram-negative bacterial species including Aeromonas hydrophila, Chryseobacterium indologenes, Chryseobacterium meningosepticum, Citrobacter freundii, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Proteus mirabilis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Serratia liquifaciens. Here we determined the pathogenicity of 3 bacterial species (Aeromonas hydrophila, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Proteus mirabilis) associated with an outbreak of fatal dermatosepticemia in New Zealand Litoria ewingii frogs. A bath challenge method was used to expose test frogs to individual bacterial species (2 x 10(7) cfu/mL in pond water); control frogs were exposed to uninfected pond water. None of the control frogs or those exposed to A. hydrophila or P. mirabilis showed any morbidity or mortality. Morbidity and mortality was 40% among frogs exposed to K. pneumonia, and the organism was reisolated from the hearts, spleens, and livers of affected animals.

Antimicrobial and cytotoxic activities of Malaysian endophytes.

Endophytes, which are receiving increasing attention, have been found to be potential sources of bioactive metabolites following the discovery of paclitaxel producing endophytic fungi. In the present study, a total of 348 endophytes were isolated from different parts of 24 Malaysian medicinal plants. Three selected endophytes (HAB10R12, HAB11R3 and HAB21F25) were investigated for their antimicrobial and cytotoxic activities. For antimicrobial activity, HAB10R12 and HAB11R3 were found to be most active against bacteria and fungi, respectively. Their antimicrobial effects were comparable to, if not better than, a number of current commercial antibacterial and antifungal agents. Both HAB10R12 and HAB21F25 were found to be potential anticancer drug candidates, having potent activity against MCF-7 and HCT116 cell lines and warrant further investigation.

Skin peptides of different life stages of Ewing's tree frog.

In frogs, an important mechanism of skin innate immunity against invading microbial pathogens is secretion of antimicrobial peptides from the specialized granular glands. Since these glands develop fully in skin dermis after completion of metamorphosis, they are small and immature in skin of larvae (tadpoles). Skin secretions vary among different life stages. Antimicrobial activity and peptide composition of natural mixture of skin peptides of three different life stages of New Zealand Ewing's Tree Frog (Litoria ewingii), tadpoles, metamorphs and adults were analyzed. The peptide mixtures were collected from skin secretions and analyzed for activity against the standard reference bacterium, Escherichia coli (ATCC 25922). Their peptide components were analyzed using liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (LC-MS). The peptide mixture from adults and metamorphs contained the species-specific antimicrobial peptide uperin 7.1 and inhibited the growth of E. coli (ATCC 25922). In contrast, the peptide mixture of tadpoles did not inhibit the growth of E. coli (ATCC 25922). This peptide mixture did not contain uperin 7.1 but had peptides whose molecular masses did not correspond to molecular masses of any known frog antimicrobial peptides.

Cytotoxic and antibacterial activities of endophytic fungi isolated from plants at the National Park, Pahang, Malaysia.

BACKGROUND: Endophytes, microorganisms which reside in plant tissues, have potential in producing novel metabolites for exploitation in medicine. Cytotoxic and antibacterial activities of a total of 300 endophytic fungi were investigated. METHODS: Endophytic fungi were isolated from various parts of 43 plants from the National Park Pahang, Malaysia. Extracts from solid state culture were tested for cytotoxicity against a number of cancer cell lines using the MTT assay. Antibacterial activity was determined using the disc diffusion method. RESULTS: A total of 300 endophytes were isolated from various parts of plants from the National Park, Pahang. 3.3% of extracts showed potent (IC50 < 0.01 microg/ml) cytotoxic activity against the murine leukemic P388 cell line and 1.7% against a human chronic myeloid leukemic cell line K562. Sporothrix sp. (KK29FL1) isolated from Costus speciosus showed strong cytotoxicity against colorectal carcinoma (HCT116) and human breast adenocarcinoma (MCF7) cell lines with IC50 values of 0.05 microg/ml and 0.02 microg/ml, respectively. Antibacterial activity was demonstrated for 8% of the extracts. CONCLUSION: Results indicate the potential for production of bioactive agents from endophytes of the tropical rainforest flora.

Isolation of 2-pyridone alkaloids from a New Zealand marine-derived penicillium species.

Fermentation of a Penicillium sp. isolated from a surface-sterilized thallus segment of the brown alga Xiphophora gladiata, collected from Macrocarpa Point, Otago, New Zealand, in half-strength potato dextrose broth led to the isolation and characterization of three alkaloids: the known N-hydroxy-2-pyridone, PF1140 (1), and two new 2-pyridones, 2 and 3.

Biosynthesis of spiro-mamakone A, a structurally unprecedented fungal metabolite.

Biosynthetic studies on spiro-mamakone A (1), a potently cytotoxic and antimicrobial compound from an endophytic fungus isolated from the New Zealand native tree Knightia excelsa (rewarewa), confirm the polyketide origins of this unique compound belonging to the spirobisnaphthalene class of compounds. The biosynthesis proceeds via an unprecedented symmetric enedione with the two halves of the molecule being formed from two separate pentaketide units connected by oxidative coupling.

Evolving trends in the dereplication of natural product extracts. 2. The isolation of chrysaibol, an antibiotic peptaibol from a New Zealand sample of the mycoparasitic fungus Sepedonium chrysospermum.

By the application of an HPLC bioactivity profiling/microtiter technique in conjunction with capillary NMR instrumentation and access to the AntiMarin database the conventional evaluation/isolation dereplication/characterization procedures can be dramatically truncated. This approach is illustrated using the isolation of a new peptaibol, chrysaibol (1), from a New Zealand isolate of the mycoparasitic fungus Sepedonium chrysospermum. The unique nature of chrysaibol was recognized by bioactivity-guided fractionation using HPLC bioactivity profiling/microtiter plate analysis in conjunction with capillary NMR instrumentation and the AntiMarin database. 2D NMR techniques, in combination with MS fragmentation experiments, determined the planar structure of chrysaibol (1), while the absolute configurations of the amino acid residues were defined by Marfey's method. Chrysaibol (1) was cytotoxic against the P388 murine leukemia cell line (IC50 6.61 microM) and showed notable activity against Bacillus subtilis (IC50 1.54 microM).

Evolving trends in the dereplication of natural product extracts: new methodology for rapid, small-scale investigation of natural product extracts.

The use of an HPLC bioactivity profiling/microtiter plate technique in conjunction with capillary probe NMR instrumentation and access to appropriate databases effectively short-circuits conventional dereplication procedures, necessarily based on multimilligram extracts, to a single, more rapid submilligram operation. This approach to dereplication is illustrated using fungal or bacterial extracts that contain known compounds. In each case the dereplication steps were carried out on microgram quantities of extract and demonstrate the discriminating power of (1)H NMR spectroscopy as a definitive dereplication tool.

Excelsione, a depsidone from an endophytic fungus isolated from the New Zealand endemic tree Knightia excelsa.

A new tetracyclic depsidone, excelsione (1), was isolated from the extract of an unidentified fungal endophyte obtained from the New Zealand endemic tree Knightia excelsa. The structure was elucidated by X-ray crystallography and NMR spectroscopy.

Pterulamides I-VI, linear peptides from a Malaysian Pterula sp.

Six new linear peptides, pterulamides I-VI (1-6), were isolated from the fruiting bodies of a Malaysian Pterula species. The structures were elucidated by MS and 2D NMR experiments, and the absolute configurations of the constituent amino acids established using Marfey's method. The pterulamides are mainly assembled from nonpolar N-methylated amino acids and, most interestingly, have non-amino-acid N-terminal groups, among them the unusual cinnamoyl, (E)-3-methylsulfinylpropenoyl, and (E)-3-methylthiopropenoyl groups. Furthermore, pterulamides I-V are the first natural peptides with a methylamide C-terminus. Pterulamides I and IV are cytotoxic against the P388 cell line with IC50 values of 0.55 and 0.95 microg/mL (0.79 and 1.33 microM), respectively.

Chrysosporide, a cyclic pentapeptide from a New Zealand sample of the fungus Sepedonium chrysospermum.

A new cyclic pentapeptide, chrysosporide (1), was isolated from a New Zealand sample of the mycoparasitic fungus Sepedonium chrysospermum by bioactivity-guided fractionation. The planar structure was deduced by detailed spectroscopic analysis, and the absolute configurations of the amino acid residues were defined by Marfey's method. As both enantiomers of Leu occurred in chrysosporide, molecular mechanics calculations were applied to the analysis to distinguish between the possible structural isomers. Only the lowest energy conformers of the cyclo-(L-Val-D-Ala-L-Leu-L-Leu-D-Leu) isomer were in agreement with the observed NOEs, suggesting that this was the most probable amino acid sequence for chrysosporide (1).

Pteratides I-IV, new cytotoxic cyclodepsipeptides from the Malaysian basidiomycete Pterula sp.

Four new cyclodepsipeptides, pteratides I-IV (1-4), have been isolated from the extract of a Pterula species collected from a Malaysian tropical forest. Homonuclear and heteronuclear 2D NMR techniques as well as MS fragmentation experiments, in combination with methanolysis, determined the gross structures of the peptides and showed that pteratides I and II each contained the nonproteinogenic amino acid 4-methylproline. The absolute configurations of the amino acids in pteratides I-IV were established using Marfey's method. Pteratides I and II are each potently cytotoxic against the P388 murine leukemia cell line (IC50 values of 41 and 40 nM, respectively). Pteratides III and IV show weaker, but still notable, activity with IC50 values of 7.4 and 2.9 microM, respectively.

Lanostane triterpenoids from the Sri Lankan basidiomycete Ganoderma applanatum.

Two new lanostane-type triterpenoids, 3alpha,16alpha-dihydroxylanosta-7,9(11),24-trien-21-oic acid (1) and 3alpha,16alpha,26-trihydroxylanosta-7,9(11),24-trien-21-oic acid (2), along with three known lanostanoids, 16alpha-hydroxy-3-oxolanosta-7,9(11),24-trien-21-oic acid (3), 3alpha-carboxyacetoxy-24-methylen-23-oxolanost-8-en-26-oic acid (4), and 3alpha-carboxyacetoxy-24-methyl-23-oxolanost-8-en-26-oic acid (5), have been isolated from the EtOAc extract of the fruiting body of Ganoderma applanatum. The structures of 1, 2, and 3 were determined directly by the interpretation of spectroscopic data, while the structures of 4 and 5 were assigned by comparison of spectroscopic data against literature values.

Bioactivity profiling using HPLC/microtiter-plate analysis: application to a New Zealand marine alga-derived fungus, Gliocladium sp.

Using HPLC/microtiter-plate-based generation of activity profiles the extract of a marine alga-derived fungus, identified as Gliocladium sp., was shown to contain the known strongly cytotoxic metabolite 4-keto-clonostachydiol (1) and also clonostachydiol (2) as well as gliotide (3), a new cyclodepsipeptide containing several D-amino acids. The absolute configuration of 1 was elucidated by reduction to 2, and two further oxidized derivatives of clonostachydiol (5, 6) were prepared and evaluated for biological activity.