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New Bioactive Fungal Molecules with High Antioxidant and Antimicrobial Capacity Isolated from Cerrena unicolor Idiophasic Cultures

Summary

This research discovered that a common wood-destroying fungus, Cerrena unicolor, can produce three different types of natural compounds with powerful antioxidant and antimicrobial properties. These compounds could potentially be used to develop new natural preservatives or pharmaceutical products. Impacts on everyday life: • Could lead to new natural food preservatives to replace synthetic ones • May provide new sources of antibacterial compounds to fight infections • Could offer new natural antioxidants for health supplements and cosmetics • Demonstrates how organisms typically considered as wood decay can have beneficial applications • Shows potential for sustainable production of valuable compounds through fungal cultivation

Background

Fungal bioactive compounds, including cellular components and secondary metabolites, have been shown to affect the human immune system and could treat various diseases. Recent intensification in applying bioactive compounds from white rot fungi in food processing and pharmaceutical industries has stimulated worldwide searches for new natural bioactive compounds of fungal origin. These substances can include intra- and extracellular low molecular weight compounds, proteins, polysaccharides, or polysaccharide-protein complexes isolated from wood-degrading fungal strains.

Objective

To isolate and characterize three bioactive fractions from Cerrena unicolor idiophasic cultures: extracellular laccase (ex-LAC), crude endopolysaccharides (c-EPL), and a low molecular subfraction of secondary metabolites (ex-LMS). To determine their antioxidant properties, toxicity, and antimicrobial activities.

Results

The ex-LMS fraction showed the highest reducing capability: 39-90% for chemiluminescence, 20-90% for ABTS, and 10-59% for DPPH at concentrations of 6.25-800 μg/mL. The c-EPL showed scavenging abilities between 36-70% for chemiluminescence, 2-60% for ABTS, and 28-32% for DPPH. Ex-LAC demonstrated strong prooxidative potential. Toxicity tests showed 85.37% toxic effect for c-EPL, 50.67% for ex-LAC, and 99.8% for ex-LMS against V. fischeri. All fractions showed varying degrees of antibacterial activity against E. coli and/or S. aureus.

Conclusion

C. unicolor can be used as a source of three bioactive fractions with significant antioxidant and antimicrobial properties. The endopolysaccharides and extracellular low molecular weight compounds showed particularly high ROS-scavenging potential. These substances could potentially serve as new sources of effective antioxidants that can be easily produced in controlled laboratory conditions. The prooxidative potential of laccase and toxic effects on bacterial cells suggest potential pharmacological applications.
  • Published in:BioMed Research International,
  • Study Type:Laboratory Research,
  • Source: 10.1155/2013/497492
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