Isolation and characterization of lovastatin producing fungi; investigating the antimicrobial and extracellular enzymatic activities

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Research Paper 01/02/2017
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Isolation and characterization of lovastatin producing fungi; investigating the antimicrobial and extracellular enzymatic activities

Mishal Subhan, Syeda Besma Sabir, Yasmeen Akhtar, Samiullah khan, Ian Macreadie, Rani Frayal
Int. J. Biosci. 10(2), 12-20, February 2017.
Copyright Statement: Copyright 2017; The Author(s).
License: CC BY-NC 4.0

Abstract

Lovastatin is the drug used to reduce blood cholesterol serum levels. The present study includes the isolation of new fungal species such as Aspergillus terreus to produce lovastatin and other key secondary metabolites that can be effectively used as antimicrobial agents. New strain was characterized by morphological and molecular identification. Lovastatin was produced by Aspergillus terreus by submerged fermentation, and the levels of lovastatin produced were calculated to be 405mg/l. The initial characterization of crude extract was done by yeast inhibition bioassays, thin layer chromatography and Fourier transform-Infrared spectroscopy and later confirmed by high performance chromatographic analysis. The antibacterial and antifungal activities of crude extracts were determined including the assessment of enzymatic potential of fungal Aspergillus terreus. The study concludes that Aspergillus terreus is the newly isolated fungal strain that is a potent producer of lovastatin, exhibiting various other biologically important characteristics that can be used for the exploitation in various industries.

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