Isolation and identification of growth promoting endophytes from Artemisia annua L. and its effects on artemisinin content

Subject Areas : Essential Oils: Classical and Advanced Techniques for Isolation and Biological Activities

Mir Abid  Hussain ¹ (Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine (CSIR-IIIM), Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, Canal Road, Jammu-180001, India | Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research, Anusandhan Bhawan, 2 Rafi Marg, New Delhi-110 001, India)
Vidushi  Mahajan ² (Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine (CSIR-IIIM), Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, Canal Road, Jammu-180001, India | Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research, Anusandhan Bhawan, 2 Rafi Marg, New Delhi-110 001, India)
Irshad Ahmad  Rather ³ (Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine (CSIR-IIIM), Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, Canal Road, Jammu-180001, India)
Praveen  Awasthi ⁴ (Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine (CSIR-IIIM), Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, Canal Road, Jammu-180001, India)
Rekha  Chouhan ⁵ (Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine (CSIR-IIIM), Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, Canal Road, Jammu-180001, India)
Prabhu  Dutt ⁶ (Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine (CSIR-IIIM), Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, Canal Road, Jammu-180001, India)
Yash Pal  Sharma ⁷ (Post Graduate Department of Botany, University of Jammu, Jammu and Kashmir, India)
Yashbir S.  Bedi ⁸ (Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine (CSIR-IIIM), Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, Canal Road, Jammu-180001, India | Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research, Anusandhan Bhawan, 2 Rafi Marg, New Delhi-110 001, India)
Sumit G.  Gandhi ⁹ (Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine (CSIR-IIIM), Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, Canal Road, Jammu-180001, India | Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research, Anusandhan Bhawan, 2 Rafi Marg, New Delhi-110 001, India)

Received: 2017-07-03 Accepted : 2017-10-11 Published : 2017-12-01

Keywords: <i>Cochliobolus lunatus</i>, elicitor, <i>Colletotrichum gloeosporioides</i>, <i>Curvularia pallescens</i>, <i>Acremonium persicum</i>,

Abstract :

Artemisinin, a sesquiterpene lactone, is a well-known antimalarial drug isolated from Artemisia annua L. (Asteraceae). Semi-synthetic derivatives of artemisinin like arteether, artemether, artesunate, etc. have also been explored for antimalarial as well as other pharmacological activities. Endophytes are microorganisms which reside inside the living tissues of host plants and can form symbiotic, parasitic or commensalistic relationship depending on the climatic conditions and host genotype. In this study, endophytic fungi were isolated from the leaves of A. annua and were identified using the conventional as well as molecular taxonomic methods. Endophytes were identified as: Colletotrichum gloeosporioides, Cochliobolus lunatus, Curvularia pallescens and Acremonium persicum. Growth promoting activity of endophytes has been reported earlier. After treating potted plants of A. annua with elicitor extracts prepared from these endophytic fungi, we observed an increase in the plant biomass as well as artemisinin content.

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