Production of antioxidant metabolites and toxicity assessment of extracts from the phytopathogenic fungus Sclerotium rolfsii
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.55779/nsb18212841Keywords:
antioxidant acitivity, bioactive metabolites, biological toxicity, molecular identification, Sclerotium rolfsii, submerged fermentation (SmF)Abstract
Sclerotium rolfsii is a widely distributed phytopathogenic fungus that causes significant losses in various agricultural crops. In this study, the fungus was molecularly identified, its mycelial growth was evaluated, and the production of bioactive compounds was assessed under submerged fermentation (SmF) conditions. The fungus was identified by amplifying 970 bp of the LSU rRNA region by endpoint PCR. Sequencing of the fragment showed 98% identity with species of the Agroathelia/Sclerotium complex, confirming its membership in this phylogenetic group. S. rolfsii exhibited accelerated radial growth on potato dextrose agar (PDA), reaching a mycelial diameter of 79.33 mm at 72 hours, with an average growth rate of 24.77 mm/day, confirming its high colonization capacity. The bioactive compounds of the fungus were obtained through SF using potato dextrose (PD) and malt extract (ME) media. Ethanolic extracts (EE) and filtered broth (FB) were obtained. The highest concentrations of flavonoids (1.02 mg quercetin equivalents/g) and phenolic compounds (3 mg gallic acid equivalents/g) were found in the FB extracts, from the ME and PD media, respectively. Furthermore, the extracts (EE and FB) from both media showed high antioxidant activity (30.2–35.1 mg ascorbic acid equivalents/g). Toxicity bioassays with Artemia salina indicated that there were no lethal effects at concentrations up to 200 ppm. This data suggests that the metabolites of S. rolfsii could also be analyzed in the future using cell lines as a source of non-toxic antioxidant metabolites. Therefore, these metabolites could have potential applications in pharmaceuticals as well as in the agricultural sector.
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