Discovering the chemical profile, antimicrobial and antibiofilm potentials of the endophytic fungus Penicillium chrysogenum isolated from Artemisia judaica L. assisted with docking studies

The continuous impedance of Pseudomonas aeruginosa to traditional antibacterial drugs due to biofilm forma-tion resulted in a growing necessity to develop effective antibiofilm formation treatments. Thus, such a study was conducted to search for the natural metabolites from the endophytic Penicillium chrysoginum AJEF2 as a source of prospective antibiofilm-forming agents. Generally, the OSMAC (one strain many compounds) approach was undertaken to ascertain that the modified potato dextrose broth (MPDB) culture displayed substantial antibacterial potential towards various human pathogenic microorganisms (MICs = 125-500 mg/ mL) and exhibited a remarkable percentage of biofilm inhibition against Pseudomonas aeruginosa clinical iso-lates by 92.3%. LC-ESI-HRMS analysis of such extract annotated seventeen metabolites that were screened for their inhibitory biofilm formation based on molecular docking simulation on LasR protein-specific quo-rum sensing. Interestingly, gladiolic acid, 8-hydroxy-6-methylxanthone-1-carboxylic acid methyl ester, cyclo (L-tryptophanyl-L-tryptophanyl), and citreoanthrasteroid A, showed acceptable interaction energies and formed significant interactions inside the LasR active site. Those results highlight endophytic Penicillium chrysoginum AJEF2 as a potential source for antibiofilm compounds.(c) 2022 SAAB. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

Continuous resistance of Pseudomonas aeruginosa to traditional antibacterial drugs due to biofilm formation has resulted in a growing need for effective antibiofilm formation treatments. This study identified potential antibiofilm agents from the endophytic Penicillium chrysoginum AJEF2 and found that a modified culture medium exhibited significant antibacterial potential against various human pathogenic microorganisms and inhibited biofilm formation by Pseudomonas aeruginosa clinical isolates. Molecular docking simulation identified specific metabolites that showed potential for inhibiting biofilm formation. These findings highlight the potential of endophytic Penicillium chrysoginum AJEF2 as a source for antibiofilm compounds.