Diversity and antimicrobial activities of the fungal endophyte community associated with the traditional Brazilian medicinal plant Solanum cernuum Vell. (Solanaceae)

• Published in: Canadian journal of microbiology Vol. 58; no. 1; pp. 54 - 66
• Main Authors: Vieira, Mariana L A, Hughes, Alice F S, Gil, Viviane B, Vaz, Aline B M, Alves, Tânia M A, Zani, Carlos L, Rosa, Carlos A, Rosa, Luiz H
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Canada NRC Research Press 01.01.2012; Canadian Science Publishing NRC Research Press
• Subjects: activité antimicrobienne; Anti-infective agents; Anti-Infective Agents - isolation & purification; Anti-Infective Agents - pharmacology; Antibacterial activity; antimicrobial activity; Antimicrobial agents; Arthrobotrys; Bacteria - drug effects; Bioactive compounds; Biodiversity; Biological diversity; bioprospecting; bioprospection; Brazil; Complex Mixtures - pharmacology; DNA, Ribosomal Spacer - genetics; Endophytes; endophytes fongiques; Flowers & plants; fungal endophytes; Fungi; Fungi - chemistry; Fungi - classification; Fungi - drug effects; Fungi - genetics; Fungi - isolation & purification; Fungi - physiology; Genes, rRNA - genetics; Health aspects; Medicinal plants; Microbial Sensitivity Tests; Microbiology; Molecular Sequence Data; Phylogeny; Physiological aspects; plante médicinale tropicale; Plants, Medicinal - microbiology; Solanum; Solanum - microbiology; Taxonomy; tropical medicinal plant; Yeasts; Brazil
• ISSN: 0008-4166; 1480-3275
• DOI: 10.1139/w11-105

The diversity and antimicrobial activity of endophytic fungi associated with the Brazilian medicinal plant Solanum cernuum Vell. were studied during summer and winter seasons. A total of 246 fungal isolates were obtained, including 225 filamentous fungi and 21 yeasts. They were identified by morphological, physiological, and molecular methods. Fifty-five different taxa represented by the phyla Ascomycota (33 taxa), Basidiomycota (21 taxa), and Zygomycota (one taxon) were identified. The most abundant taxa were closely related to Arthrobotrys foliicola , Colletotrichum gloeosporioides , Coprinellus radians , Glomerella acutata , Diatrypella frostii , Phoma glomerata , Mucor sp., Phlebia subserialis , Phoma moricola , Phanerochaete sordida , and Colletotrichum sp. A total of 265 fungal extracts were screened and 64 (26.01%) displayed antimicrobial activities. Among these extracts, 18 (28.12%) presented antibacterial and antifungal activities, 42 (65.62%) displayed selective antibacterial activity, and four (6.25%) exhibited only antifungal activity. The best values of minimum inhibitory concentration were obtained from extracts of Cryptococcus rajasthanensis , Glomerella acutata, Leptosphaeria sp., and Phoma glomerata ranging from 7.8 to 15.62 µg/mL. This study is the first survey of the endophytic fungi community associated with S. cernuum, and our results show that they can represent a promising source of bioactive compounds.