The Ability of Basidiomycetes Cyclocybe cylindracea, Hericium erinaceus, Stropharia rugosoannulata, and Hypsizygus ulmarius to Produce Sterol Biosynthesis Inhibitors

Background. Treatment of infectious, tumor, and cardiovascular diseases remains the most important task of modern medicine. The search for biologically active secondary metabolites allows us to detect natural compounds that can serve as the basis for the development of fundamentally new drugs. The use of original search methods and the involvement of new groups of organisms, including basidiomycetes, can significantly increase the efficiency of screening work and, ultimately, lead to the development of new, more effective drugs.

The aim of the work was to reveal the ability of Basidiomycetes to produce sterol biosynthesis inhibitors (SBIs) and metabolites with antimicrobial properties.

Material and methods. Basidiomycetes were grown using the submerged cultivation method. Biologically active compounds were obtained by extraction with ethyl acetate from the culture broth and with ethanol from the mycelium of the producers. The antibacterial and antifungal activity of the extracts with determination of the minimum inhibitory concentration was assessed using the serial dilution method in liquid media, as well as the agar diffusion assay. To detect SBIs, a test system with Halobacterium salinarum microbial culture, which possesses the mevalonate pathway of sterol biosynthesis, was used.

Results. Basidiomycete strains belonging to the species Cyclocybe cylindracea, Hericium erinaceus, Stropharia rugosoannulata and Hypsizygus ulmarius grown by submerged cultivation showed antibacterial and antifungal activity. In the microbial system of H. salinarum, the studied strains of C. cylindracea, S. rugosoannulata and H. ulmarius showed themselves as possible producers of SBIs. The strains C. cylindracea and H. ulmarius revealed the ability to form inhibitors of the early stages of sterol biosynthesis before the mevalonate formation.

Conclusion. Among the 4 studied basidiomycete strains, 3 strains — C. cylindracea, S. rugosoannulata, and H. ulmarius — were identified as potential producers of SBIs. C. cylindracea and H. ulmarius strains demonstrated the ability to produce inhibitors of the early stages of sterol biosynthesis.

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