title: Antifungal activity of extracts from Atacama Desert fungi against Paracoccidioides brasiliensis and identification of Aspergillus felis as a promising source of natural bioactive compounds.
abstract: Fungi of the genus Paracoccidioides are responsible for paracoccidioidomycosis. The occurrence of drug toxicity and relapse in this disease justify the development of new antifungal agents. Compounds extracted from fungal extract have showing antifungal activity. Extracts of 78 fungi isolated from rocks of the Atacama Desert were tested in a microdilution assay against Paracoccidioides brasiliensis Pb18. Approximately 18% (5) of the extracts showed minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values ≤ 125.0 µg/mL. Among these, extract from the fungus UFMGCB 8030 demonstrated the best results, with an MIC of 15.6 µg/mL. This isolate was identified as Aspergillus felis (by macro and micromorphologies, and internal transcribed spacer, β-tubulin, and ribosomal polymerase II gene analyses) and was grown in five different culture media and extracted with various solvents to optimise its antifungal activity. Potato dextrose agar culture and dichloromethane extraction resulted in an MIC of 1.9 µg/mL against P. brasiliensis and did not show cytotoxicity at the concentrations tested in normal mammalian cell (Vero). This extract was subjected to bioassay-guided fractionation using analytical C18RP-high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and an antifungal assay using P. brasiliensis. Analysis of the active fractions by HPLC-high resolution mass spectrometry allowed us to identify the antifungal agents present in the A. felis extracts cytochalasins. These results reveal the potential of A. felis as a producer of bioactive compounds with antifungal activity.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Microbiologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brasil.
authors.forename: Graziele
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Mendes
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Microbiologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brasil.
authors.forename: Vívian N
authors.initials: VN
authors.lastname: Gonçalves
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Fisiologia e Biofísica, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brasil.
authors.forename: Elaine M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Souza-Fagundes
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Química de Produtos Naturais, Centro de Pesquisa René Rachou, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brasil.
authors.forename: Markus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kohlhoff
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Microbiologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brasil.
authors.forename: Carlos A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Rosa
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Química de Produtos Naturais, Centro de Pesquisa René Rachou, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brasil.
authors.forename: Carlos L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Zani
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Química de Produtos Naturais, Centro de Pesquisa René Rachou, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brasil.
authors.forename: Betania B
authors.initials: BB
authors.lastname: Cota
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Microbiologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brasil.
authors.forename: Luiz H
authors.initials: LH
authors.lastname: Rosa
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Microbiologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brasil.
authors.forename: Susana
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Johann
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000935:Antifungal Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001230:Aspergillus / Q000737:chemistry*; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D002522:Chlorocebus aethiops; D056148:Chromatography, Reverse-Phase; D003572:Cytochalasins / Q000032:analysis; D004271:DNA, Fungal / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D003889:Desert Climate; D013058:Mass Spectrometry; D008752:Methylene Chloride; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D010228:Paracoccidioides / Q000187:drug effects*; D010802:Phylogeny; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D052616:Solid Phase Extraction; D014709:Vero Cells / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D000935:Antifungal Agents; D003572:Cytochalasins; D004271:DNA, Fungal; D008752:Methylene Chloride