Abstract
This study profiled the various endophytic fungi isolated from the orchid Cymbidium sp. and their L-asparaginase production and antioxidant potential. The L-asparaginase production was first screened through qualitative plate screening then quantified by the Nesslerization method. The antioxidant potential was quantified via the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl assay. A total of 30 endophytic fungi were isolated and all fungal isolates exhibited various degrees of radical scavenging activities (45.28% to 76.4%). Isolate Lasiodiplodia theobromae (C11) had the highest antioxidant capacity, represented by the lowest IC50 value (5.75 mg/mL) and highest ascorbic acid equivalent antioxidant capacity value (12.17 mg/g). Additionally, 16 isolates produced L-asparaginase (53.33%), which includes primarily species of Fusarium proliferatum, Fusarium fujikuroi, Fusarium incarnatum, and Fusarium oxysporum. A new isolate has also been discovered from Cymbidium orchid, Buergenerula spartinae (C28), which showed the highest L-asparaginase activity (1.736 unit/mL). These findings supported the postulation that medicinal species of Orchidaceae such as Cymbidium sp. harbor endophytes that are producers of L-asparaginase and antioxidants with various potential applications.
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Data availability
The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author, upon request.
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The authors would like to thank Monash University Malaysia for the facilities and resources to complete the study.
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RWC conducted the experiments and collected and analyzed the data. RWC and ASYT wrote and edited the manuscript. ASYT and KPS were involved in project design, supervision, and manuscript review. The final manuscript was read and approved by all contributors.
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Chua, R.W., Song, K.P. & Ting, A.S.Y. Antioxidant properties and L-asparaginase activities of endophytic fungi from Cymbidium orchids. Folia Microbiol (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12223-023-01112-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12223-023-01112-5