1. Background
2. Objectives
3. Methods
3.1. Plants and Sampling Area
3.2. Sampling
3.3. Fungal Endophytes Isolation
3.4. Fermentation and Crude Extract Preparation
3.5. Bioactivity Assaying
3.5.1. Antimicrobial Assay
3.5.1.1. Antibacterial
3.5.1.2. Antifungal
3.5.2. Cytotoxicity Assay
4. Results and Discussion
| Host Plant | Sampling Location | Season (mn) | Tissue | Isolated Endophyte | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Identification | Isolate Code | ||||
| Capparisspinosa | Saint Catherine (Sinai) | May 2014 | Bark | Eladia sp. | 7-H |
| Eladia sp. | 8-I | ||||
| Eladia sp. | 9-J | ||||
| Eladia sp. | 10-L | ||||
| Eladia sp. | 11-M | ||||
| Leaf | Eladia sp. | 3-C | |||
| Cladosporium sphaerospermum | 5-E | ||||
| Alternaria sp. | 6-F | ||||
| Euphorbia helioscopia | Saint Catherine (Sinai) | May 2014 | Bark | Cladosporium sp. | 18-T |
| Penicillium sp. | 19-U | ||||
| Penicillium miczynskii | 25-III | ||||
| Leaf | Eladia sp. | 14-P | |||
| Gliocladium roseum | 15-Q | ||||
| Cladosporium sp. | 16-R | ||||
| Penicillium miczynskii | 17-S | ||||
| Cladosporium sp. | 26-IV | ||||
| Aspergillus sp. | 27-(v) | ||||
| Flower | - | ||||
| Nepetaseptemcrenata | Saint Catherine (Sinai) | May 2014 | Bark | Alternaria sp. | 12-N |
| Dark sterile mycelium | 13-O | ||||
| Trichoderma sp. | 20-V | ||||
| Alternaria sp. | 21-W | ||||
| Dark sterile mycelium | 22-X | ||||
| Trichoderma sp. | 23-Y | ||||
| Dark sterile mycelium | 24-II | ||||
| Trichoderma sp. | 30-XII | ||||
| Dark sterile mycelium | 31-XIII | ||||
| Leaf | Aspergillus niger | 61-61 | |||
| Peganumharmala | Saint Catherine (Sinai) | May 2014 | Bark | - | - |
| Leaf | - | - | |||
| Fruit | Cladosporium sp. | 28-(X) | |||
| Plantagosinaica | Saint Catherine (Sinai) | May 2014 | Bark | - | - |
| Flower | Alternaria sp. | 29-XI | |||
| Eladia sp. | 4-D | ||||
| Astragalusannularis | Saint Catherine (Sinai) | May 2014 | Bark | Eladia sp. | 1-A |
| Aspergillus terreus | 2-B | ||||
| Leaf | - | - | |||
| Avicennia marina | Ras-Mohammed (Red Sea coast - Sinai) | April 2016 | Bark | Cladosporium sp. | 56-*2 |
| Leaf | Aspergillus sp. | 52-ML1 | |||
| Pochonia suclosporia | 53-ML2 | ||||
| Flower | Chaetomium globosum | 54-MF1 | |||
| Dark sterile mycelium | 55-MF2 | ||||
| Hyoscyamusmuticus 2 | Cairo (Helwan University) | September 2015 | Bark | Nigrospora sp. | 38-38 |
| Cladosporium sp. | 40-40 | ||||
| Penicillium sp. | 41-41 | ||||
| Aspergillus flavus | 45-45 | ||||
| Leaf | Nigrospora sp. | 39-39 | |||
| Hyoscyamusmuticus 1 | October 2013 | Bark | Aspergillus terreus | 35-SB | |
| Leaf | - | - | |||
| Moringaoleifera 2 | Giza | September 2015 | Bark | Curvularia pallescens | 48-48 |
| Aspergillus niger | 50-50 | ||||
| Leaf | Nigrospora sp. | 49-49 | |||
| Moringaoleifera 1 | October 2013 | Bark | Curvularia sp. | 34-34 | |
| Aspergillus flavus | 60-60 | ||||
| Calotropisprocera 2 | Cairo (El Maadi) | September 2015 | Bark | Penicillium sp. | 42-42 |
| Cladosporium sp. | 43-43 | ||||
| Aspergillus sp. | 44-44 | ||||
| Aspergillus flavus | 46-46 | ||||
| Leaf | - | - | |||
| Calotropisprocera 1 | Cairo (Helwan University) | October 2013 | Bark | Dark sterile mycelium | 36-36 |
| Leaf | Alternaria sp. | 37-37 | |||
| Isolate Code | Antibacterial Activity | Antifungal Activity | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gram-Positive (Inhibition Zone, mm) | Gram-Negative (Inhibition Zone, mm) | Yeast | Mold | |||||
| M. luteusb | S. pneumoniaeb | S. aureusb | E. colib | K. pneumoniaeb | P. aeruginosab | C. albicans b | F. solanib %inhibition | |
| 1-A | - | - | - | - | - | 8.6 | - | 0 |
| 2-B | - | 10.3 | 15 | - | - | 8.6 | - | 0 |
| 3-C | - | - | - | - | - | 8 | - | 0 |
| 4-D | - | - | - | - | - | 10 | - | 0 |
| 5-E | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 0 |
| 6-F | - | - | 8.2 | - | - | - | - | 0 |
| 7-H | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 0 |
| 8-I | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 0 |
| 9-J | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 0 |
| 10-L | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 0 |
| 11-M | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 0 |
| 12-N | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 0 |
| 13-O | - | - | 13.5 | - | - | 7 | - | 0 |
| 14-P | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 0 |
| 15-Q | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 0 |
| 16-R | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 0 |
| 17-S | 9.3 | 7.7 | 6.7 | - | - | 8 | - | 13.8 |
| 18-T | - | - | - | - | - | 8 | - | 0 |
| 19-U | - | - | - | - | - | 8.5 | - | 0 |
| 20-V | - | - | - | - | - | 11.5 | - | 0 |
| 21-W | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 0 |
| 22-X | - | - | 13 | - | - | - | - | 2.6 |
| 23-Y | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 0 |
| 24-II | - | - | 9.3 | - | - | - | - | 0 |
| 25-III | 8.3 | 6.8 | - | - | - | 8.7 | - | 15.5 |
| 26-IV | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 0 |
| 27-(V) | - | - | - | - | - | 7.3 | - | 0 |
| 28-(X) | - | - | - | - | - | 8.7 | - | 0 |
| 29-XI | - | - | 6.5 | - | - | - | - | 1.7 |
| 30-XII | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 0 |
| 31-XIII | - | - | 7.3 | - | - | - | - | 1.7 |
| 34-34 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 0 |
| 35-SB | 18.3 | 10.3 | 7.3 | - | - | - | - | 35.6 |
| 36-36 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 0 |
| 37-37 | - | 7 | 7.3 | 7 | - | - | - | 0 |
| 38-38 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 0 |
| 39-39 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 0 |
| 40-40 | - | - | - | - | - | 7.2 | - | 0 |
| 41-41 | - | - | - | - | - | 7.7 | - | 0 |
| 42-42 | 12.7 | 6.75 | - | - | - | 8 | - | 0 |
| 43-43 | - | - | - | - | - | 7 | - | 0 |
| 44-44 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 0 |
| 48-48 | - | - | - | - | - | 7.5 | - | 0 |
| 49-49 | - | - | - | - | - | 7.3 | - | 0 |
| 52-ML1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 0 |
| 53-ML2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 0 |
| 54-MF1 | 10.5 | 6.5 | 8 | 6.5 | 7 | 7 | - | 0 |
| 55-MF2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 0 |
| 56-*2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 0 |
aPDA culture ethanolic extract
bM. luteus, Micrococcus luteus clinical isolate; S. pneumonia, Streptococcus pneumoniae clinical isolate; S. aureus, Staphylococcus aureus ATTC 25923; E. coli, Escherichia coli ATTC 25922; K. pneumonia, Klebsiella pneumoniae ATTC 700603; P. aeruginosa, Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATTC 27853; C. albicans, Candida albicans clinical isolate; F. solani, Fusarium solani.
| Isolate Code | Concentration, mg/mL | %Inhibition | Toxicity | IC50, mg/mL | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MRC-5 | MCF-7 | MRC-5 | MCF-7 | MRC-5 | MCF-7 | ||
| 1-A | 15.5 | 1.7 | 5.1 | Non-toxic | Non-toxic | ND | ND |
| 2-B | 15 | 96.2 | 70.4 | Toxic | Toxic | 9.1 | 9.5 |
| 7.5 | 34 | 52.1 | |||||
| 3.75 | 0 | 33 | |||||
| 1.88 | 0 | 0 | |||||
| 0.94 | 0 | 0 | |||||
| 3-C | 15 | 7.7 | 18.7 | Non-toxic | Reduced-toxicity | ND | ND |
| 4- D | 15.5 | 7 | 0 | Non-toxic | Non-toxic | ND | ND |
| 5-E | 15 | 6.8 | 1.5 | Non-toxic | Non-toxic | ND | ND |
| 6-F | 15.5 | 4.7 | 0 | Non-toxic | Non-toxic | ND | ND |
| 7-H | 16 | 1 | 0 | Non-toxic | Non-toxic | ND | ND |
| 8-I | 15 | 15 | 8.2 | Reduced-toxicity | Non-toxic | ND | ND |
| 9-J | 30 | 22.6 | 7.4 | Reduced-toxicity | Non-toxic | ND | ND |
| 10-L | 15 | 11.8 | 7.2 | Reduced-toxicity | Non-toxic | ND | ND |
| 11-M | 16.5 | 18.6 | 0.7 | Reduced-toxicity | Non-toxic | ND | ND |
| 12-N | 7.5 | 16.7 | 2.9 | Reduced-toxicity | Non-toxic | ND | ND |
| 13-O | 15.5 | 100 | 100 | Toxic | Toxic | ND | ND |
| 14-P | 15 | 20.9 | 15.3 | Reduced-toxicity | Reduced-toxicity | ND | ND |
| 15-Q | 5 | 9.7 | 1.6 | Non-toxic | Non-toxic | ND | ND |
| 16-R | 16 | 13.1 | 9.5 | Reduced-toxicity | Non-toxic | ND | ND |
| 17-S | 15.5 | 0 | 2.3 | Non-toxic | Non-toxic | ND | ND |
| 18-T | 5 | 9.2 | 0 | Non-toxic | Non-toxic | ND | ND |
| 19-U | 16 | 66.3 | 94.2 | Toxic | Toxic | 9.8 | 7 |
| 8 | 58 | 84.8 | |||||
| 4 | 50 | 46.6 | |||||
| 2 | 0 | 0 | |||||
| 1 | 0 | 0 | |||||
| 20-V | 16 | 100 | 91.8 | Toxic | Toxic | 5.2 | 4.6 |
| 8 | 84.1 | 90.4 | |||||
| 4 | 65 | 62.7 | |||||
| 2 | 38.2 | 59.7 | |||||
| 1 | 11.9 | 5.4 | |||||
| 21-W | 7.5 | 1.6 | 0 | Non-toxic | Non-toxic | ND | ND |
| 22-X | 31 | 100 | 91.8 | Toxic | Toxic | 0.19 | ND |
| 15.5 | 100 | 91.6 | |||||
| 7.75 | 100 | 88 | |||||
| 3.88 | 90.4 | 85 | |||||
| 1.9 | 42.2 | 54.1 | |||||
| 23-Y | 15 | 0 | 0 | Non-toxic | Non-toxic | ND | ND |
| 24-II | 15 | 100 | 100 | Toxic | Toxic | ND | ND |
| 7.5 | 100 | 100 | |||||
| 3.75 | 100 | 98 | |||||
| 1.88 | 86.6 | 96.7 | |||||
| 0.94 | 62.7 | 96 | |||||
| 25-III | 16.5 | 0 | 0 | Non-toxic | Non-toxic | ND | ND |
| 26-IV | 15 | 0 | 0 | Non-toxic | Non-toxic | ND | ND |
| 27-(V) | 30 | 0 | 4.1 | Non-toxic | Non-toxic | ND | ND |
| 28-(X) | 15.5 | 0 | 0 | Non-toxic | Non-toxic | ND | ND |
| 29-XI | 17 | 0 | 7.3 | Non-toxic | Non-toxic | ND | ND |
| 30- XII | 15 | 0 | 5.6 | Non-toxic | Non-toxic | ND | ND |
| 31-XIII | 15 | 85 | 98.5 | Toxic | Toxic | 5.6 | ND |
| 7.5 | 82.7 | 97.9 | |||||
| 3.75 | 76.8 | 75 | |||||
| 1.88 | 25.2 | 75 | |||||
| 0.94 | 4.7 | 0 | |||||
| 34-34 | 7.5 | 100 | 95.4 | Toxic | Toxic | 3.5 | 4.8 |
| 3.75 | 74.5 | 23.3 | |||||
| 1.88 | 31 | 0 | |||||
| 0.94 | 0 | 0 | |||||
| 0.47 | 0 | 0 | |||||
| 35-SB | 15 | 36 | 94.8 | Reduced-toxicity | Toxic | ND | 7 |
| 7.5 | 4.5 | 62.2 | |||||
| 3.75 | 0 | 37.6 | |||||
| 1.88 | 0 | 17.3 | |||||
| 0.94 | 0 | 7.8 | |||||
| 36-36 | 15 | 100 | 96.7 | Toxic | Toxic | 5.7 | 5.4 |
| 7.5 | 84.1 | 96.3 | |||||
| 3.75 | 71.4 | 52.3 | |||||
| 1.88 | 6.9 | 23.9 | |||||
| 0.94 | 0 | 7.5 | |||||
| 37-37 | 15 | 100 | 97.2 | Toxic | Toxic | 5.5 | 3.8 |
| 7.5 | 82 | 96.9 | |||||
| 3.75 | 79 | 92.1 | |||||
| 1.88 | 8.3 | 49.7 | |||||
| 0.94 | 2.4 | 2.3 | |||||
| 38-38 | 8.5 | 14.6 | 91.4 | Reduced-toxicity | Toxic | ND | 3.8 |
| 4.25 | 8.1 | 60.1 | |||||
| 2.125 | 3.2 | 43.3 | |||||
| 1.06 | 0.4 | 32.5 | |||||
| 0.35 | 0 | 8.7 | |||||
| 39-39 | 5 | 51.5 | 14.3 | Toxic | Reduced-toxicity | 4.9 | ND |
| 2.5 | 23.7 | 8.9 | |||||
| 1.25 | 8.1 | 2.7 | |||||
| 0.625 | 1.5 | 0.1 | |||||
| 0.313 | 0.27 | 0.3 | |||||
| 40-40 | 15.5 | 80.8 | 32.5 | Toxic | Reduced-toxicity | 10.3 | ND |
| 7.75 | 46.2 | 15.9 | |||||
| 3.875 | 3 | 8.7 | |||||
| 1.94 | 0 | 4.21 | |||||
| 0.97 | 0 | 0.3 | |||||
| 41-41 | 19.5 | 23 | 81.7 | Reduced-toxicity | Toxic | ND | 11.6 |
| 9.75 | 9.6 | 42.6 | |||||
| 4.88 | 1.2 | 24.3 | |||||
| 2.44 | 0.2 | 16.9 | |||||
| 1.22 | 0 | 0 | |||||
| 42-42 | 15.5 | 20.4 | 81.9 | Reduced-toxicity | Toxic | ND | 7.9 |
| 7.75 | 4.3 | 73 1 | |||||
| 3.875 | 0 | 32.9 | |||||
| 1.94 | 0 | 16.1 | |||||
| 0.97 | 0 | 0.1 | |||||
| 43-43 | 7.5 | 16.8 | 98.45 | Reduced-toxicity | Toxic | ND | 2.4 |
| 3.75 | 3.6 | 94.2 | |||||
| 1.88 | 0 | 60.5 | |||||
| 0.94 | 0 | 32.9 | |||||
| 0.47 | 0 | 15.2 | |||||
| 44-44 | 5 | 32.9 | 94.8 | Reduced-toxicity | Toxic | ND | 2.1 |
| 2.5 | 14.8 | 67 | |||||
| 1.25 | 6 | 47.1 | |||||
| 0.625 | 3.6 | 23.4 | |||||
| 0.313 | 0 | 8.1 | |||||
| 48-48 | 15.5 | 18.7 | 60.5 | Reduced-toxicity | Toxic | ND | 10.3 |
| 7.75 | 7.9 | 51.5 | |||||
| 3.875 | 0 | 42 | |||||
| 1.94 | 0 | 20.4 | |||||
| 0.97 | 0 | 4.2 | |||||
| 49-49 | 5.5 | 27.8 | 19.5 | Reduced-toxicity | Reduced-toxicity | ND | ND |
| 52-ML1 | 15 | 96.38 | 95.69 | Toxic | Toxic | 8.5 | 7.8 |
| 7.5 | 47.78 | 46.58 | |||||
| 3.75 | 9.84 | 28.49 | |||||
| 1.88 | 1.31 | 8.45 | |||||
| 53-ML2 | 16.3 | 58.01 | 60.80 | Toxic | Toxic | 14.4 | 13.8 |
| 8.15 | 24.97 | 25.04 | |||||
| 4.08 | 5.36 | 8.89 | |||||
| 2.04 | 1.31 | 1.56 | |||||
| 54-MF1 | 16.7 | 52.47 | 43.35 | Toxic | Reduced-toxicity | 17.4 | ND |
| 8.35 | 4.29 | 8.89 | |||||
| 4.18 | 0.67 | 0.27 | |||||
| 2.09 | 0.46 | 0 | |||||
| 55-MF2 | 8.25 | 38.19 | 36.03 | Reduced-toxicity | Reduced-toxicity | ND | ND |
| 56-2a | 15.55 | 50.55 | 51.97 | Toxic | Toxic | 16.4 | 15.1 |
| 7.78 | 8.34 | 8.89 | |||||
| 3.89 | 0 | 0 | |||||
| 1.9 | 0.88 | 0 | |||||
| Control 1a | 17 | 0 | 1.2 | Non-toxic | Non-toxic | ND | ND |
| Control 2a | 31 | 0 | 6.9 | Non-toxic | Non-toxic | ND | ND |
Abbreviation: ND, not-detected.
aPDA culture ethanolic extract.

