Antifungal Effect of Chitosan as Ca(2+) Channel Blocker.
The aim of this study was to investigate antifungal activity of a range of different molecular weight (MW) chitosan against Penicillium italicum. Our results demonstrate that the antifungal activity was dependent both the MW and concentration of the chitosan. Among a series of chitosan derived from the hydrolysis of high MW chitosan, the fractions containing various sizes of chitosan ranging from 3 to 15 glucosamine units named as chitooligomers-F2 (CO-F2) was found to show the highest antifungal activity against P. italicum. Furthermore, the effect of CO-F2 toward this fungus was significantly reduced in the presence of Ca(2+), whereas its effect was recovered by ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid, suggesting that the CO-F2 acts via disruption of Ca(2+) gradient required for survival of the fungus. Our results suggest that CO-F2 may serve as potential compounds to develop alternatives to synthetic fungicides for the control of the postharvest diseases.
Department of Life Science, College of BioNano, Gachon University, Seongnam 13120, Korea.
Choon Geun
CG
Lee
Division of Science Education and Institute of Fusion Science, Chonbuk National University, Jeonju 54896, Korea.
Ja Choon
JC
Koo
Department of Life Science, College of BioNano, Gachon University, Seongnam 13120, Korea.
Jae Kweon
JK
Park
Ca2+ channel; Penicillium italicum; antifungal activity; chitosan; molecular weight