Synergistic action of endophytic fungi secondary metabolites against multidrug-resistant strains of Staphylococcus aureus
1 Department of Pharmaceutical Microbiology and Biotechnology, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka-Nigeria. PMB 50522.
2 Univine Medical Diagnostic Laboratory, Igbo-Elerin, Lagos State, Nigeria.
3 Department of Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka-Nigeria. PMB 50522.
Research Article
Magna Scientia Advanced Research and Reviews, 2023, 09(01), 052–060
Article DOI: 10.30574/msarr.2023.9.1.0127
Publication history:
Received on 01 August 2023; revised on 13 September 2023; accepted on 15 September 2023
Abstract:
The global threat to treatment of infections associated with multidrug-resistant microorganisms as well as side effects associated with combination therapy calls for the urgent development of new medicines to address these challenges. Endophytic fungi are efficient bio synthesizers and offer a wide array of these reliable bioactive compounds. The present study is aimed at evaluating the effect of combined extracts of endophytic fungi isolated from the leaves of Musa paradisiaca against multidrug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) strains. Screening for multidrug resistance was carried out using the Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion assay followed by a preliminary assay of endophytic fungal extracts bioactivity using agar diffusion assay against selected MRSA. A synergistic study using checkerboard assay technique was performed, then extracts were subjected to quantitative evaluation of secondary metabolites using Gas Chromatography with Flame Ionization Detector. Axenic cultures of five endophytic fungi from M. paradisiaca (EMp1-Emp5) were isolated from the sampled leaves. All the endophytic fungal extracts inhibited the growth of all the multi-drug resistant Staphylococcus aureus at 0.5 mg/mL. Varying inhibition zones that were concentration-dependent were observed. The combined effects of EMp3 and EMp5 extracts at 9:1; 8:2; 4:6; 3:7; and 2:8 combination ratios produced synergistic effects against S. aureus (S18) with very low Fractional inhibitory Concentrations of 0.03:0.01, 0.01:0.01, 0.006:0.02, 0.01:0.04 and 0.01:0.1 mg/mL respectively. Several bioactive secondary metabolites such as anthocyanin, (-) epicatechin, naringenin, resveratrol, catechin, rutin, phenol were produced by the fungal endophytes. Our findings further affirm fungal endophytes associated with M. paradisiaca leaves as producers of natural antibacterial agents with synergistic potentials.
Keywords:
Antimicrobial Activity; Endophytic fungus; Multidrug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus; Musa paradisiaca; Secondary metabolites; Synergistic activity
Full text article in PDF:
Copyright information:
Copyright © 2023 Author(s) retain the copyright of this article. This article is published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Liscense 4.0