Terrien, a metabolite made by Aspergillus terreus , has activity against Cryptococcus neoformans

PeerJ

article

Melissa Cadelis¹  Alex Grey²  Shara van de Pas²  Soeren Geese²  Bevan S. Weir³  Brent Copp¹  Siouxsie Wiles² 

[1] School of Chemical Sciences, University of Auckland;Bioluminescent Superbugs Lab, Department of Molecular Medicine and Pathology, University of Auckland;Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research

关键词: Antibiotic discovery;    Natural compounds;    Anti-fungal activity;    Antimicrobial testing;    Fungal secondary metabolites;    Mycobacteria;    Staphylococcus aureus;    Cryptococcus neoformans;   

DOI  :  10.7717/peerj.14239

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: Inra

【 摘 要 】

Antimicrobial compounds, including antibiotics, have been a cornerstone of modern medicine being able to both treat infections and prevent infections in at-risk people, including those who are immune-compromised and those undergoing routine surgical procedures. Their intense use, including in people, animals, and plants, has led to an increase in the incidence of resistant bacteria and fungi, resulting in a desperate need for novel antimicrobial compounds with new mechanisms of action. Many antimicrobial compounds in current use originate from microbial sources, such as penicillin from the fungus Penicillium chrysogenum (renamed by some as P. rubens). Through a collaboration with Aotearoa New Zealand Crown Research Institute Manaaki Whenua–Landcare Research we have access to a collection of thousands of fungal cultures known as the International Collection of Microorganisms from Plants (ICMP). The ICMP contains both known and novel species which have not been extensively tested for their antimicrobial activity. Initial screening of ICMP isolates for activity against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus directed our interest towards ICMP 477, an isolate of the soil-inhabiting fungus, Aspergillus terreus. In our investigation of the secondary metabolites of A. terreus, through extraction, fractionation, and purification, we isolated nine known natural products. We evaluated the biological activity of selected compounds against various bacteria and fungi and discovered that terrein (1) has potent activity against the important human pathogen Cryptococcus neoformans.

【 授权许可】

CC BY