Endophytic Fungi Associated with Dusty Miller (Centaurea cineraria L.) and Judean Wormwood (Artemisia judaica L.) and Evaluation of their Antifungal Activities | ||||
Assiut University Journal of Multidisciplinary Scientific Research | ||||
Volume 51, Issue 2, May 2022, Page 135-162 PDF (663.83 K) | ||||
Document Type: Novel Research Articles | ||||
DOI: 10.21608/aunj.2022.125140.1003 | ||||
View on SCiNiTO | ||||
Author | ||||
MOSHERA AHMAD ELUSFEE | ||||
Botany and microbiology department, Faculty of Science, Assiut University, Assiut, Egypt | ||||
Abstract | ||||
Endophytic fungi isolated from medicinal plants represent a potent biotechnological source for production of bioactive natural substances. This study aimed to estimate the diversity and anti-dermatophytic activity of the endophytic fungi associated with Centaurea cineraria and Artemisia judaica cultivated in Botanical Garden of Faculty of Science, Assiut University. Nineteen species belonging to eleven fungal genera were isolated from the studied plants using Potato Dextrose Agar (PDA) and Czapek’s Cellulose Agar (CCA) media. The maximum endophytic fungal count was observed on leaf samples of A.judaica accounting 44 and 38 CFU/125 leaf segments on PDA and CCA media, respectively. In contrast, the leaf samples of C. cineraria showed the widest fungal spectrum contributing 8 genera and 12 species on PDA medium and 7 genera and 9 species on CCA medium. Aspergillus, Penicillium, Chaetomium and Cladosporium were the most prevalent fungi. Ascotricha lusitanica was firstly recorded in Egypt from C. cineraria and was identified morphologically and by gene sequencing. The obtained sequences were deposited in the GenBank under accession number MT256115.The isolated fungi were screened for their abilities to produce antimicrobial secondary metabolites against dermatophytes (Microsporum canis, Trichophyton rubrum and T. mentagrophytes) using dual culture technique. A. lusitanica showed the highest suppressive impact against the tested dermatophytes. In conclusion, this study demonstrated that the endophytic A. lusitanica is considered a promising source of antimicrobial natural products involved in the pharmaceutical applications. | ||||
Keywords | ||||
Endophytic fungi; Centaurea cineraria; Artemisia judaica; Ascotricha lusitanica; Antimicrobial activity; Dermatophytes | ||||
Statistics Article View: 342 PDF Download: 299 |
||||