title: Leishmanicidal, trypanocidal, and cytotoxic activities of endophytic fungi associated with bioactive plants in Brazil.
abstract: One hundred and twenty-one isolates of endophytic fungi were recovered from leaves of the bioactive Brazilian plant species Ageratum myriadenia , Palicourea tetraphylla , Piptadenia adiantoides, and Trixis vauthieri. All fungal isolates were cultivated in liquid media and crude extracts were obtained with ethyl acetate. The crude extracts were tested in bioassay panels using Leishmania amazonensis , Trypanosoma cruzi, the enzyme trypanothione reductase (TryR) from Trypanosoma cruzi, and three human cancer cell lines. Thirty-three extracts (27.2%) exhibited at least one biological activity. Seventeen extracts (14%) were cytotoxic against one or more human cancer cell line with the IC50 values ranged of >0.2 to 25 µg/mL. Twenty-four extracts (19.8%) inhibited the activity of TryR, and three showed ability to inhibit the growth of T. cruzi above 60% and their IC50 values ranged among 1 to 10 µg/mL. Eleven extracts (9%) were able to inhibit the growth of L. amazonensis and showed with IC50 values ranged among 4.6 to 24.4 µg/mL. The endophytic fungi were identified as belonging to the genera Alternaria , Arthrinium , Cochliobolus , Colletotrichum , Penicillium , Fusarium, and Gibberella. An interesting result was obtained for the bioactive isolates UFMGCB 508, 537, 899 and 903, which were related to fungi associated with medicinal plants native to Asia, Australia, Africa, and Polynesia. These results indicate that bioactive plants living in Brazilian ecosystems are a potential host of endophytic fungi able to produce bioactive prototype molecules for drug development against neglected tropical diseases.
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Microbiologia, Instituto de Ciências Exatas e Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto , Ouro Preto, MG , Brasil.
authors.forename: Luiz H
authors.initials: LH
authors.lastname: Rosa
authors.forename: Vívian N
authors.initials: VN
authors.lastname: Gonçalves
authors.forename: Rachel B
authors.initials: RB
authors.lastname: Caligiorne
authors.forename: Tânia M A
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Alves
authors.forename: Ana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rabello
authors.forename: Policarbo A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Sales
authors.forename: Alvaro J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Romanha
authors.forename: Marcos E G
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Sobral
authors.forename: Carlos A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Rosa
authors.forename: Carlos L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Zani
keywords: Endophytic fungi; Leishmania; Trypanosoma cruzi; human tumoral cell; secondary metabolites
references.citation: New Phytol. 2008;178(1):147-156
references.pmid: 18194146
references.citation: FEMS Microbiol Lett. 2008 Aug;285(2):177-82
references.pmid: 18557945
references.citation: Org Lett. 1999 Dec 16;1(12):1897-900
references.pmid: 10905859
references.citation: J Natl Cancer Inst. 1991 Jun 5;83(11):757-66
references.pmid: 2041050
references.citation: Crit Rev Biotechnol. 2002;22(4):315-33
references.pmid: 12487423
references.citation: J Biotechnol. 2001 Jul 12;88(3):277-82
references.pmid: 11434973
references.citation: Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 1996 Nov;40(11):2592-7
references.pmid: 8913471
references.citation: FEMS Immunol Med Microbiol. 2001 Aug;31(2):163-7
references.pmid: 11549424
references.citation: FEMS Microbiol Lett. 2005 Aug 15;249(2):255-66
references.pmid: 16000243
references.citation: Mem Inst Oswaldo Cruz. 2008 May;103(3):263-70
references.pmid: 18592099
references.citation: Mol Biol Evol. 2007 Aug;24(8):1596-9
references.pmid: 17488738
references.citation: Nucleic Acids Res. 1997 Sep 1;25(17):3389-402
references.pmid: 9254694
references.citation: Parasitol Res. 2002 Nov;88(11):963-8
references.pmid: 12375160
references.citation: FEMS Immunol Med Microbiol. 2007 Dec;51(3):517-25
references.pmid: 17888010
references.citation: Lloydia. 1971 Mar;34(1):103-60
references.pmid: 5140262
references.citation: Phytochemistry. 2003 Nov;64(6):1125-31
references.pmid: 14568079
references.citation: Biochem J. 2003 Feb 1;369(Pt 3):529-37
references.pmid: 12416994
references.citation: Mem Inst Oswaldo Cruz. 2003 Oct;98(7):967-74
references.pmid: 14762527
references.citation: Eur J Biochem. 1995 Mar 15;228(3):745-52
references.pmid: 7737173