Discovery of anti-microbial and anti-tubercular molecules from Fusarium solani: an endophyte of Glycyrrhiza glabra.
OBJECTIVE
Glycyrrhiza glabra is a high-value medicinal plant thriving in biodiversity rich Kashmir Himalaya. The present study was designed to explore the fungal endophytes from G. glabra as a source of bioactive molecules.


RESULTS
The extracts prepared from the isolated endophytes were evaluated for anti-microbial activities using broth micro-dilution assay. The endophytic strain coded as A2 exhibiting promising anti-bacterial as well as anti-tuberculosis activity was identified as Fusarium solani by ITS-5.8S ribosomal gene sequencing technique. This strain was subjected to large-scale fermentation followed by isolation of its bioactive compounds using column chromatography. From the results of spectral data analysis and comparison with literature, the molecules were identified as 3,6,9-trihydroxy-7-methoxy-4,4-dimethyl-3,4-dihydro-1H-benzo[g]isochromene-5,10-dione (1), fusarubin (2), 3-O-methylfusarubin (3) and javanicin (4). Compound 1 is reported for the first time from this strain. All the four compounds inhibited the growth of various tested bacterial strains with MIC values in the range of <1 to 256 μg ml-1. Fusarubin showed good activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis strain H37Rv with MIC value of 8 μg ml-1, whereas compounds 1, 3 and 4 exhibited moderate activity with MIC values of 256, 64, 32 μg ml-1, respectively.


CONCLUSIONS
To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study that reports significant anti-tuberculosis potential of bioactive molecules from endophytic F. solani evaluated against the virulent strain of M. tuberculosis. This study sets background towards their synthetic intervention for activity enhancement experiments in anti-microbial drug discovery programme.


CONCLUSIONS
Due to the chemoprofile variation of same endophyte with respect to source plant and ecoregions, further studies are required to explore endophytes of medicinal plants of all unusual biodiversity rich ecoregions for important and or novel bioactive molecules.
Microbial Biotechnology Division, CSIR-Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine, Sanatnagar, Srinagar, Jammu & Kashmir, India.|Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research, CSIR-Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine, Canal Road, Jammu Tawi, India.
A
A
Shah
Clinical Microbiology and PK-PD Division, CSIR-Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine, Sanatnagar, Srinagar, Jammu & Kashmir, India.|Department of Biochemistry, University of Kashmir, Srinagar, India.
M A
MA
Rather
Microbial Biotechnology Division, CSIR-Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine, Sanatnagar, Srinagar, Jammu & Kashmir, India.|Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research, CSIR-Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine, Canal Road, Jammu Tawi, India.
Q P
QP
Hassan
Bioorganic Chemistry Division, CSIR-Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine, Sanatnagar, Srinagar, Jammu & Kashmir, India.
M A
MA
Aga
Microbial Biotechnology Division, CSIR-Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine, Sanatnagar, Srinagar, Jammu & Kashmir, India.
S
S
Mushtaq
Microbial Biotechnology Division, CSIR-Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine, Sanatnagar, Srinagar, Jammu & Kashmir, India.|Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research, CSIR-Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine, Canal Road, Jammu Tawi, India.
A M
AM
Shah
Microbial Biotechnology Division, CSIR-Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine, Sanatnagar, Srinagar, Jammu & Kashmir, India.|Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research, CSIR-Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine, Canal Road, Jammu Tawi, India.
A
A
Hussain
Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research, CSIR-Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine, Canal Road, Jammu Tawi, India.
S A
SA
Baba
Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research, CSIR-Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine, Canal Road, Jammu Tawi, India.|Clinical Microbiology and PK-PD Division, CSIR-Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine, Sanatnagar, Srinagar, Jammu & Kashmir, India.
Z
Z
Ahmad
D000995:Antitubercular Agents / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology*; D055808:Drug Discovery; D060026:Endophytes / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000145:classification / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism; D005670:Fusarium / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000145:classification / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism; D006035:Glycyrrhiza / Q000382:microbiology*; D006801:Humans; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D015394:Molecular Structure; D009169:Mycobacterium tuberculosis / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D010946:Plants, Medicinal / Q000382:microbiology; D014376:Tuberculosis / Q000382:microbiology
D000995:Antitubercular Agents

F. solani
; 
G. glabra
; Kashmir Himalayas; Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv; anti-microbial and anti-tubercular; endophytes; fermentation