Antioxidant, Cytotoxic, and DNA Damage Protection Activities of Endophytic Fungus Pestalotiopsis neglecta Isolated from Ziziphus spina-christi Medicinal Plant

Abstract

Fungal endophytes are friendly microorganisms that colonize plants and are important in the interactions between plants and their environment. They generate valuable secondary metabolites that are valuable to both plants and humans. Endophytic fungi with bioactivities were isolated from the leaves of the medicinal plant Ziziphus spina-christi. An efficient isolate was selected and identified as Pestalotiopsis neglecta based on nucleotide sequencing of the internal transcribed spacer region (ITS 1-5.8S-ITS 2) of the 18S rRNA gene (NCBI accession number OP529850); the 564 bp had 99 to 100% similarity with P. neglecta MH860161.1, AY682935.1, KP689121.1, and MG572407.1, according to the BLASTn analysis, following preliminary phytochemical and antifungal screening. The biological activities of this fungus’ crude ethyl acetate (EtOAc) extract were assessed. With an efficient radical scavenging activity against 2,2′-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl and an IC50 value of 36.6 µg mL−1, P. neglecta extract has shown its potential as an antioxidant. Moreover, it displayed notable cytotoxic effects against MCF-7 (breast carcinoma, IC50 = 22.4 µg mL−1), HeLa (cervical carcinoma, IC50 = 28.9 µg mL−1) and HepG-2 (liver carcinoma, IC50 = 28.9 µg mL−1). At 10 µg mL−1, EtOAc demonstrated significant DNA protection against hydroxyl radical-induced damage. Based on FT-IR and GC-MS spectral analysis, it was detected that the EtOAc of P. neglecta product contains multiple bioactive functional groups. Subsequently, this validated the features of major different potent compounds; tolycaine, 1H-pyrazol, 1,3,5-trimethyl-, eugenol, 2,5-cyclohexadiene-1,4-dione, 2,6-bis(1,1-dimethyl), and bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate. Since these compounds are biologically relevant in various aspects, and distinct biological activities of fungal extract were acceptable in vitro, this suggests that endophytic fungus P. neglecta may be a viable source of bioactive natural products. This could be a good starting point for pharmaceutical applications.

An Insight into In Vitro Antioxidant, Antimicrobial, Cytotoxic, and Apoptosis Induction Potential of Mangiferin, a Bioactive Compound Derived from Mangifera indica

“…In order to inhibit or reduce the production of radicals and create less aggressive chemical species, which are more likely to trigger tissue injury, antioxidant activity includes intercepting reactive oxygen species [ 40 ]. Due to their capacity to defend against the negative effects brought on by reactive oxygen species, natural antioxidants have received a lot of interest in recent years [ 41 , 42 ]. In the DPPH assay, a purple solution that is visible receives electrons, changing it into a discolored solution [ 43 ].…”

“…They were not harmful to the lung fibroblast’s normal cell line (CCD-25 Lu) and exhibited moderate cytotoxicity toward normal cell lines, such as colon (CCD-18Co) and breast (MCF-10A) [ 66 , 67 , 68 ] cell lines. The ability of natural extracts and purified compounds to inhibit cell proliferation and combat cancer can be quantified using the reliable and simple MTT method [ 42 ].…”

“…Purified mangiferin’s antioxidant activity was assessed using Almustafa and Yehia’s [ 42 ] technique with a few minor modifications. Briefly, a fresh solution of 0.1 mM DPPH (1,1-Diphenyl-2-Picrylhydrazyl) was obtained by dissolving 1.9 mg in 1000 mL of 99.7% ethanol.…”

“…The cervical carcinoma (HeLa) and breast carcinoma (MCF-7) cell lines, as well as the healthy human intestinal epithelial cell line (NCM460 cell), were provided by Shanghai Bioleaf Technology Co., Ltd., Shanghai, China. As previously described by [ 42 ] with minor changes, the cell viability was ascertained using a 3-(4, 5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide test (MTT; Sigma-Aldrich, USA). The cells were maintained in Dulbecco’s modified Eagle’s medium (DMEM, Life Technologies, Gaithersburg, MD, USA) containing 10% fetal bovine serum (FBS, Gibco, Massachusetts, MA, USA), 50 µg/mL streptomycin, and 1% penicillin (Sigma-Aldrich, St. Louis, MO, USA).…”

Visualization of the relationship between fungi and cancer from the perspective of bibliometric analysis

“…This emphasis can be attributed to several factors, including the distinct properties exhibited by marine fungi, their potential for therapeutic applications, and prior research findings supporting their relevance. it is noteworthy that amidst the prevailing emphasis on marine fungi and their cytotoxic properties, a subset of researchers diligently delve into the exploration of diverse facets pertaining to the intricate interplay between fungi and cancer [ [69] , [70] , [71] ]. These scholars engage in the study of different types of fungi or investigate the impact of fungal infections on cancer.…”