The Fungal Pharmacy: Techniques of Isolation of Novel Secondary Metabolites from Fungal Species.

Riley Bulnes, Ezequiel Cruz Rosa, Bill Baker

University of South Florida

Endophytic fungi produce secondary metabolites that are essential to  protect the fungi and its host from infections. This defense mechanism of the fungi can be harnessed for human use in a variety of ways. One focus being as a source of antimitotic to combat Candida albicans and Candida auris. The other being to target and inhibit the growth of cancerous cells, offering hope for novel therapeutic interventions in oncology. TAP14-275 is an endophytic penicillium sample gathered from the mangroves of Tapachula, Mexico. The sample was treated with the epigenetic modifier Nicotinamide a Histone Deacetylase inhibitor which changes how the DNA is read therefore altering the secondary metabolites within the fungi. Changing the secondary metabolites can create new compounds active against C. auris, C. albicans, and A549 cells. This study aims to isolate these secondary metabolites using Chromatographic techniques then decipher these compounds using Mass Spectroscopy and 1D and 2D Nuclear Magnetic Resonance techniques.