Nornidulin, A New Inhibitor of <i>Plasmodium falciparum</i> Malate: Quinone Oxidoreductase (<i>Pf</i>MQO) from Indonesian <i>Aspergillus</i> sp. BioMCC f.T.8501

oleh: Alfian Wika Cahyono, Loeki Enggar Fitri, Sri Winarsih, Erwahyuni Endang Prabandari, Danang Waluyo, Amila Pramisandi, Evita Chrisnayanti, Diana Dewi, Eka Siska, Nurlaila Nurlaila, Nuki Bambang Nugroho, Tomoyoshi Nozaki, Suciati Suciati

Format: Article
Diterbitkan: MDPI AG 2023-02-01

Deskripsi

This study aimed to obtain a microbial active compound as a novel antimalarial drug from Indonesian isolates. Target-based assays were used to screen for antimalarial activity against the parasite mitochondrial, <i>Plasmodium falciparum</i> malate:quinone oxidoreductase (<i>Pf</i>MQO) enzyme. In total, 1600 crude extracts, composed from 800 fungi and 800 actinomycetes extracts, were screened against <i>Pf</i>MQO, yielding six active extracts as primary hits. After several stages of stability tests, one extract produced by <i>Aspergillus</i> sp. BioMCC f.T.8501 demonstrated stable <i>Pf</i>MQO inhibitory activity. Several purification stages, including OCC, TLC, and HPLC, were performed to obtain bioactive compounds from this active extract. All purification steps were followed by an assay against <i>Pf</i>MQO. We identified the active compound as nornidulin based on its LC-MS and UV spectrum data. Nornidulin inhibited <i>Pf</i>MQO activity at IC<sub>50</sub> of 51 µM and <i>P. falciparum</i> 3D7 proliferation in vitro at IC<sub>50</sub> of 44.6 µM, however, it had no effect on the growth of several mammalian cells. In conclusion, we isolated nornidulin from Indonesian <i>Aspergillus</i> sp. BioMCC f.T.8501 as a novel inhibitor of <i>Pf</i>MQO, which showed inhibitory activity against the proliferation of <i>P. falciparum</i> 3D7 in vitro.