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Production of paclitaxel with anticancer activity by two local fungal endophytes, Aspergillus fumigatus and Alternaria tenuissima

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Abstract

Among 60 fungal endophytes isolated from twigs, bark, and mature leaves of different plant species, two fungal isolates named TXD105 and TER995 were capable of producing paclitaxel in amounts of up to 84.41 and 37.92 μg L−1, respectively. Based on macroscopic and microscopic characteristics, ITS1–5.8S–ITS2 rDNA sequence, and phylogenetic characteristic analysis, the two respective isolates were identified as Aspergillus fumigatus and Alternaria tenuissima. In the effort to increase paclitaxel magnitude by the two fungal strains, several fermentation conditions including selection of the proper fermentation medium, agitation rate, incubation temperature, fermentation period, medium pH, medium volume, and inoculum nature (size and age of inoculum) were tried. Fermentation process carried out in M1D medium (pH 6.0) and maintained at 120 rpm for 10 days and at 25 °C using 4% (v/v) inoculum of 5-day-old culture stimulated the highest paclitaxel production to attain 307.03 μg L−1 by the A. fumigatus strain. In the case of the A. tenuissima strain, fermentation conditions conducted in flask basal medium (pH 6.0) and maintained at 120 rpm for 14 days and at 25 °C using 8% (v/v) inoculum of 7-day-old culture were found the most favorable to attain the highest paclitaxel production of 124.32 μg L−1. Using the MTT-based assay, fungal paclitaxel significantly inhibited the proliferation of five different cancer cell lines with 50% inhibitory concentration values varied from 3.04 to 14.8 μg mL−1. Hence, these findings offer new and alternate sources with excellent biotechnological potential for paclitaxel production by fungal fermentation.

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Acknowledgments

We thank the staff members of Central Laboratories of Isotopes Applications Division, Nuclear Research Center, Atomic Energy Authority, Cairo, Egypt, for excellent technical assistance in performing HPLC analysis. This work was supported in part by the Nuclear Research Center, Atomic Energy Authority, Cairo, Egypt.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Botany and Microbiology, Faculty of Science, Zagazig University, Zagazig, 44519, Egypt

    Ahmed A. Ismaiel

  2. Plant Research Department, Nuclear Research Center, Atomic Energy Authority, Cairo, Egypt

    Ashraf S. Ahmed, Ismail A. Hassan & El-Sayed R. El-Sayed

  3. Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Science, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt

    Al-Zahraa A. Karam El-Din

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  1. Ahmed A. Ismaiel
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  2. Ashraf S. Ahmed
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  3. Ismail A. Hassan
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  4. El-Sayed R. El-Sayed
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  5. Al-Zahraa A. Karam El-Din
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Correspondence to Ahmed A. Ismaiel.

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Ismaiel, A.A., Ahmed, A.S., Hassan, I.A. et al. Production of paclitaxel with anticancer activity by two local fungal endophytes, Aspergillus fumigatus and Alternaria tenuissima . Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 101, 5831–5846 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00253-017-8354-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00253-017-8354-x

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