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Bioprospecting Marine Fungi from the Plastisphere: Osteogenic and Antiviral Activities of Fungal Extracts
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Researchers isolated fungal strains from microplastic surfaces (the plastisphere) in Mediterranean sediments and screened their crude extracts for osteogenic and antiviral activities. Several strains—particularly Aspergillus jensenii and Cladosporium halotolerans—showed significant bone mineralization promotion and activity against respiratory syncytial virus and herpes simplex virus type 2, demonstrating pharmaceutical potential from the plastisphere.
Marine microplastics (MPs) represent a novel ecological niche, populated by fungi with high potential for pharmaceutical discovery. This study explores the bioactivity of fungal strains isolated from MPs in Mediterranean sediments, focusing on their osteogenic and antiviral activities. Crude extracts prepared via solid-state and submerged-state fermentation were tested for their effects on extracellular matrix mineralization in vitro and bone growth in zebrafish larvae, and for their activity against the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2). Several extracts exhibited significant mineralogenic and osteogenic activities, with Aspergillus jensenii MUT6581 and Cladosporium halotolerans MUT6558 being the most performing ones. Antiviral assays identified extracts from A. jensenii MUT6581 and Bjerkandera adusta MUT6589 as effective against RSV and HSV-2 at different extents, with no cytotoxic effect. Although chemical profiling of A. jensenii MUT6581 extract led to the isolation of decumbenones A and B, they did not reproduce the observed bioactivities, suggesting the involvement of other active compounds or synergistic effects. These results highlight the plastisphere as a valuable resource for novel bioactive compounds and suggest the need for further fractionation and characterization to identify the molecules responsible for these promising activities.
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Researchers investigated fungal diversity in sediments and microplastic surfaces at three Mediterranean sites with varying anthropogenic impact -- a harbor, a marine protected area, and an intermediate site -- culturing 1,526 isolates and finding that microplastics harbor distinct fungal assemblages compared to surrounding sediments, with several species recorded for the first time in marine environments.
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Researchers explored microbial communities colonizing microplastics in coastal environments of Japan, comparing bacterial and fungal communities across different plastic types, water, sediment, and sand. The study found that while microbial communities varied by sample type and location rather than plastic shape, microplastics harbored hydrocarbon-degrading organisms as well as potential pathogens, highlighting the ecological significance of plastic-associated biofilms.
Diverse groups of fungi are associated with plastics in the surface waters of the Western South Atlantic and the Antarctic Peninsula
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DNA metabarcoding of fungi on marine plastic debris from the Western South Atlantic and Antarctic Peninsula revealed 64 orders across eight fungal phyla, including many taxa not previously described on plastic surfaces. The study is the first to characterize the plastic-associated fungal communities of the Southern Hemisphere, highlighting the unknown ecological roles of plastic-colonizing fungi.
The Potential Role of Marine Fungi in Plastic Degradation – A Review
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This review examined the potential role of marine fungi in plastic degradation, highlighting that while terrestrial fungi can metabolize some plastic types, marine fungal-plastic interactions remain largely unexplored despite fungi's known ability to break down recalcitrant compounds.
Plastic-Colonizing Fungi in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea: Community Structure and Physiological and Transcriptional Responses of Aspergillus to Pristine and Weathered PET
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Scientists found that fungi—including some types of mold—naturally colonize plastic debris floating in the Mediterranean Sea, with certain fungi actually able to break down plastic and even attach to it more after it's been weathered by sun exposure. This matters because these fungi could eventually help us develop ways to biodegrade plastic waste, but it also raises questions about whether plastic debris in the ocean is becoming a floating habitat for organisms that might affect marine food chains, since plastic-eating fungi could enter the food web that ultimately reaches our plates.
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