OPTIMIZATION OF CULTURE CONDITIONS FOR IMPROVED GROWTH AND PRODUCTION OF ANTIMICROBIAL METABOLITES BY ENDOPHYTIC FUNGUS, Colletotrichum gloeosporioides STRAIN LCM 938.01 ISOLATED FROM Synclisia scabrida MIERS
CHIZOBA ANGELA OZIOKO1, CHINELO CHARITY EZE1*, DINEBARI PHILIP BEREBON1, SOMTOCHUKWU AMUCHE EVURANI1, RESTUS CHIBUIKE ONWUSOBA1, DAVID CHIBUNINE OKECHUKWU1, CHUKWUMA EZEKIEL OGBUANYA2, IFEOMA AGATHA UGBOR2, ANTHONY AMAECHI ATTAMA3*
1. Department of Pharmaceutical Microbiology and Biotechnology, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, 410001, Enugu State, Nigeria.
2. Department of Pharmaceutical Microbiology and Biotechnology, Faculty of Pharmacy, State University of Medical and Applied Sciences, Igbo-Eno, Enugu State, Nigeria
3. Department of Pharmaceutics, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, 410001, Enugu State, Nigeria.
Afr. J Pharm Res Dev; Volume 18(2): 699-712 ; 2026
ABSTRACT
Abstract
An ethnomedical plant, Synclisia scabrida Miers, has been reported to host endophytic fungi that synthesize secondary compounds with strong antimicrobial properties. This work aimed to optimize cultural conditions for the growth and production of antimicrobial metabolites by the endophytic fungus Colletotrichum gloeosporioides strain LCM 938.01 isolated from the leaves of Synclisia scabrida Miers. The identity of the fungus was confirmed using molecular techniques. The effects of different temperature conditions, culture media, incubation time, and carbon and nitrogen sources were evaluated by measuring inhibition zone diameters against five pathogenic bacteria and a fungus using the agar well diffusion method. Optimal growth and production of antimicrobial compounds were observed when the organism was cultured on rice medium at 25 °C, with the incorporation of 1 % fructose and glycine, which serve as carbon and nitrogen sources, respectively, into the growth medium, and incubated for 20 days. Significant growth and synthesis of metabolites with antimicrobial properties were observed under these optimal conditions compared with the basal media, which served as the control. This work has shown the need to optimize cultural conditions for maximum growth and production of antimicrobial metabolites by the endophytic fungus Colletotrichum gloeosporioides strain LCM 938.01. It will also guide further research on growth conditions for the characterization and isolation of antimicrobial compounds from this endophytic fungus for both pharmaceutical and agricultural purposes
Keywords: Optimization, Antimicrobial metabolites, Colletotrichum gloeosporioides, Synclisia scabrida.
Email of correspondence: [email protected]; ;
https://doi.org/10.59493/ajopred/2026.2.1 ISSN: 0794-800X (print); 1596-2431 (online)