Synthesis of Knoevenagel Adducts Under Microwave Irradiation and Biocatalytic Ene-Reduction by the Marine-Derived Fungus Cladosporium sp. CBMAI 1237 for the Production of 2-Cyano-3-Phenylpropanamide Derivatives

Endophytic, extremophilic and entomophilic fungi strains biodegrade anthracene showing potential for bioremediation

Anthropogenic activities have been increasing Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) release, promoting an urgent need for decontamination methods. Therefore, anthracene biodegradation by endophytic, extremophilic, and entomophilic fungi was studied. Moreover, a salting-out extraction methodology with the renewable solvent ethanol and the innocuous salt K₂HPO₄ was employed. Nine of the ten employed strains biodegraded anthracene in liquid medium (19-56% biodegradation) after 14 days at 30 °C, 130 rpm, and 100 mg L^-1. The most efficient strain Didymellaceae sp. LaBioMMi 155, an entomophilic strain, was employed for optimized biodegradation, aiming at a better understanding of how factors like pollutant initial concentration, pH, and temperature affected this process. Biodegradation reached 90 ± 11% at 22 °C, pH 9.0, and 50 mg L^-1. Futhermore, 8 different PAHs were biodegraded and metabolites were identified. Then, experiments with anthracene in soil ex situ were performed and bioaugmentation with Didymellaceae sp. LaBioMMi 155 presented better results than natural attenuation by the native microbiome and biostimulation by the addition of liquid nutrient medium into soil. Therefore, an expanded knowledge about PAHs biodegradation processes was achieved with emphasis to the action of Didymellaceae sp. LaBioMMi 155, which can be further employed for in situ biodegradation (after strain security test), or for enzyme identification and isolation aiming at oxygenases with optimal activity under alkaline conditions.

Marine-derived fungi as biocatalysts

Marine microorganisms account for over 90% of ocean biomass and their diversity is believed to be the result of their ability to adapt to extreme conditions of the marine environment. Biotransformations are used to produce a wide range of high-added value materials, and marine-derived fungi have proven to be a source of new enzymes, even for activities not previously discovered. This review focuses on biotransformations by fungi from marine environments, including bioremediation, from the standpoint of the chemical structure of the substrate, and covers up to September 2022.

Chitin and Silk Fibroin Biopolymers Modified by Oxone: Efficient Heterogeneous Catalysts for Knoevenagel Reaction

New materials from silk fibroin (FS-Ox) and chitin (CT-Ox) functionalized with Oxone® salt were developed for application in the synthesis of Knoevenagel adducts. The experiments were performed using benzaldehyde derivatives, malononitrile, and a mixture of water and ethanol as green solvents. The efficiency of conventional and microwave irradiation as heating sources for this reaction was also investigated. When the reactions were performed for 60 min under optimized conditions with conventional heating, twelve Knoevenagel adducts 2a–l were obtained, with good yields for both catalysts (CT-Ox 60–98% and FS-Ox 71–98%). When microwave irradiation was used, the reaction periods were reduced twelvefold, with the same Knoevenagel adducts with good CT-Ox (39–99%) and FS-Ox (35–99%) yields obtained in most cases. The reuse of these materials as catalysts in successive reactions was also evaluated, and CT-Ox FS-Ox were successfully used for 4 and 2 cycles, respectively. The results presented prove the efficiency of the CT-OxFS-Ox catalyst as a promising low-cost and reusable material with suitable catalytic properties to be applied in the aldol condensation reaction in a sustainable way.

Untapped Potential of Marine-Associated Cladosporium Species: An Overview on Secondary Metabolites, Biotechnological Relevance, and Biological Activities

The marine environment is an underexplored treasure that hosts huge biodiversity of microorganisms. Marine-derived fungi are a rich source of novel metabolites with unique structural features, bioactivities, and biotechnological applications. Marine-associated Cladosporium species have attracted considerable interest because of their ability to produce a wide array of metabolites, including alkaloids, macrolides, diketopiperazines, pyrones, tetralones, sterols, phenolics, terpenes, lactones, and tetramic acid derivatives that possess versatile bioactivities. Moreover, they produce diverse enzymes with biotechnological and industrial relevance. This review gives an overview on the Cladosporium species derived from marine habitats, including their metabolites and bioactivities, as well as the industrial and biotechnological potential of these species. In the current review, 286 compounds have been listed based on the reported data from 1998 until July 2021. Moreover, more than 175 references have been cited.

Biotransformation of Ethinylestradiol by Whole Cells of Brazilian Marine-Derived Fungus Penicillium oxalicum CBMAI 1996

In this study, we report our contribution to the application of whole cells of Brazilian marine-derived fungi in the biotransformation of ethinylestradiol 1. A preliminary screening with twelve marine-derived fungi strains revealed that the fungus Penicillium oxalicum CBMAI 1996 promoted the biotransformation of ethinylestradiol 1. Then, P. oxalicum CBMAI 1996 was employed in the reactions in decaplicate in order to purify and characterize the main biotransformation products of ethinylestradiol 1. Compounds 1b and 1c were characterized by NMR, HRMS, [α]_D and mp. Compound 1b was also characterized by single crystal X-ray diffraction. In addition, kinetic monitoring of the biotransformation of ethinylestradiol 1 by P. oxalicum CBMAI 1996 was evaluated in this study in order to obtain high yields of compounds 1b and 1c with a reduction of the reaction time. In this work, we proposed a biotransformation pathway of ethinylestradiol 1, which suggests the presence of several enzymes such as phenol oxidases, monooxygenases, and ene-reductases in the fungus P. oxalicum CBMAI 1996. In summary, the rapid biodegradation of ethinylestradiol 1 and compounds 1b and 1c also has an environmental relevance, since ethinylestradiol 1 and other steroidal compounds are improperly discarded in the environment, and part of these compounds are displaced into the oceans.