The endophytes of medicinal plants are being studied in recent years for its potential as sources of bioactive products. The host and endophytes can have a variety of symbiotic relationships: antagonist or opportunistic pathogen. A. zerumbet has been used as a medicinal plant for the treatment of influenza and pain. It contains several bioactive compounds and has shown pharmacological properties such as antihypertensive, cardiovascular protective effects and antioxidant effects. The objectives of this study are to isolate and identify the endophytes from the leaves and flowers from A. zerumbet, study the interaction of these fungi with bacteria, and identify the presence or absence of specific enzymes in fungi. Six fungi have been isolated from the leaves and flowers of the plant. Strains are being identified by traditional morphological methods. One of the identified fungi is the species Aspergillus. More than 60 Aspergillus species are medically relevant pathogens. The antagonic interaction of fungal isolation was assessed with the bacteria’s S. epidermis, E. faecalis, A. faecalis, E. coli, E. aerogenes, M. roseus, and P. mirabilis. Solid medium was used to identify the presence or absence of extracellular enzymes such as amylase, lipase, cellulase, protease, and laccase. Preliminary experiments showed that 100% of the fungal strains have amylolytic activity. It is the first time that studies of the endophytes of A. zerumbet are conducted. These results are important for future clinical microbiological studies, and to understand the dynamic interactions of fungal endophytes to produce specific enzymes as defense mechanisms.

Enzymatic and bacterial activity of fungal strains isolated from Alpinia zerumbet

251st National Meeting (2016)

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