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DOI: 10.1055/s-0039-3399637
Bioactive natural products of endophytic fungi from medicinal plants growing in Timor Island
Publication History
Publication Date:
20 December 2019 (online)
Timor Island is located in Eastern Indonesia with high intensities of sun light for the whole year and it is a tropical very dry land that gives high ecological stress for medicinal plants growing in this tropical dry land area. Endophytic fungi has been known to contribute the host plant adaptation to biotic (e.g. pathogens, herbivores) and abiotic (e.g. drought tolerance) stress factors [1], [2] by producing unusual and bioactive secondary metabolites. Research has been undertaken to investigate the bioactive natural products produced by the endophytic fungi isolated from Timorese medicinal plants. Antibiotic compounds and UVB protector compounds have been isolated in high yield from the endophytic fungi Corynespora cassicola, Diaporthe melonis and Aspergillus flavus. Corynesidones compounds had a strong inhibition to the growth of MRSA bacteria with MIC value of 16 µg/mL while flavomannin dimethyl ether inhibited the growth of streptococcus pneumonia with MIC value of 2 µg/mL. In addition, the UVB protector compound, kojic acid was isolated in high quantities (10 gram) by simple VLC fractionations from small scale fermentation. This finding confirmed the role of ecological factors in directing the specific metabolites production by endophytic fungi for supporting the plant adaptions.
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References
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- 2 Redman RS, Sheehan KB, Stout TG, Rodriguez RJ, Henson JM. Thermotolerance generated by plant/fungal symbiosis. Science 2002; 298: 1581 .