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Isolation and characterization of anticancer flavone chrysin (5,7-dihydroxy flavone)-producing endophytic fungi from Passiflora incarnata L. leaves

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Abstract

Chrysin (5,7-dihydroxy flavone, ChR) is a flavone of plant origin, possessing numerous biomedical properties, such as antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, anti-diabetic, anxiolytic, hepatoprotective, anti-aging and anticonvulsant activities. In this study, chrysin-producing fungal endophytes (A. alternata KT380662, C. capsici KT373967, and C. taiwanense PI-3 KX580307) were isolated from the leaves of Passiflora incarnata L. and characterised via morphology and internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequences. Thin layer chromatography and high-performance liquid chromatography profiles of fungal extracts showed Rf values and retention times that closely match those of standard chrysin (ChR). Further, the production of fungal chrysin (FChR) was confirmed through UV-vis spectroscopy, FT-IR, LC-ESI-MS, and 1H1 NMR analysis. Among the isolated strains, A. alternata KT380662 was identified as having a high-level of ChR production, with rates measuring approximately 846 mg L−1. On the other hand, in vitro anticancer and radical scavenging studies proved that FChR has significant cytotoxic activity against human liver carcinoma cells (HepG2). These results clearly imply that the isolated A. alternata KT380662 could serve as an alternative source for the commercial production of ChR, which holds anticancer and radical scavenging activities, and the fungal-derived ChR can be used in chemotherapy or in prodrug development.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank the Department of Science and Technology Promotion of University Research and Scientific Excellence (DST-PURSE; DST Sanction Order No- SR/FT/LS- 113/2009) for providing confocal microscopy images, Central Drug Research Institute Sophisticated Analytical Instrument Facilities (CDRI-SAIF), Lucknow for the LC-ESI-MS facility, and the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore for the NMR facility.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biotechnology, Bharathidasan University, Tiruchirappalli, 620 024, Tamilnadu, India

    Prabukumar Seetharaman, Sathishkumar Gnanasekar, Rajkuberan Chandrasekaran, Gobinath Chandrakasan & Sivaramakrishnan Sivaperumal

  2. Vice-Chancellor, Thiruvalluvar University, Vellore, 632 115, India

    Murugan Kadarkarai

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  1. Prabukumar Seetharaman
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Correspondence to Sivaramakrishnan Sivaperumal.

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Seetharaman, P., Gnanasekar, S., Chandrasekaran, R. et al. Isolation and characterization of anticancer flavone chrysin (5,7-dihydroxy flavone)-producing endophytic fungi from Passiflora incarnata L. leaves. Ann Microbiol 67, 321–331 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13213-017-1263-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13213-017-1263-5

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