There is a continuous search for new, safe and relatively cheaper drugs with the advent of new diseases and increasing antibiotic resistance. Endophtyes having the potential to synthesize a wide array of bioactive compounds is an attractive alternative. They have the potential not only to synthesize plant metabolites but also a host of other natural products exhibiting a broad spectrum of structural and chemical diversities exhibiting biological activity and therefore can serve as lead molecule(s) for designing new drugs.
In the present study, an endophytic fungus Emericella sp., was isolated from its host plant Azadirachta indica growing in semi-arid regions of Rajasthan, India. The fungal biomass was subjected to organic extraction. Hexane, ethyl acetate, ethanol and methanol were used as solvents. Ethanolic extract from the biomass exhibited anticadidal activity. Candida species are known to produce a wide spectrum of diseases including superficial mucocutaneous diseases and invasive illnesses like hepatosplenic candidiasis, candida peritonitis and systemic candidiasis. The anticandidal compounds known till date belong to allyiamine, azole and polyene classes. In the present study, the isolated compound was identified to be be a sulphur containing compound - N-[2S,3aR, 6S, 7aS)-6-acetamido-octahydro-1,3-benzothiazol-2-yl]2-(adamantan-1-yl) acetamide. Hence, this novel sulphur containing molecule, synthesized by Emericella sp. can serve as a lead molecule for designing new drugs having anticandidal activity. Similarly, the bioprospecting of entophytes from unexplored biological niches can serve as a source of lead molecules for developing novel and/or designer molecules for industrial applications.
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Reference: Shweta, M.; et al (2016). A Novel Anticandidal Sulphur Containing Molecule from Emericella Sp. Endophytic to Azadirachta indica . Natural Product Journal ., DOI: 10.2174/2210315506666160513160732
The Natural Products Journal