Exploring the bioactivity potential of fruit-associated fungi: Antifungal, antiparasitic, and antiviral activities of natural extracts.

This study investigated the potential of fungi associated with protease-rich fruits, such as papaya and pineapple, as sources of bioactive extracts. Fungal strains were cultivated in different media (rice, corn, wheat, oats, and sugarcane bagasse. The resulting extracts were analyzed by 1H NMR for chemical profiling, which allowed the observation of compounds such as rhizosolaniol, haematocin, beauvericin, cyclosporines, and fusaridioic acid. The extracts cultivated on rice exhibited high papain inhibitory activity, particularly those from Neofusicoccum ribis (99.4 % inhibition at 50 μg/mL) and Fusarium sacchari (89.6 % at 50 μg/mL). Additionally, promising anti-Trypanosoma (71.6 % inhibition) and antiviral (98 % inhibition of ZikV) activities were observed for the extract of Fusarium verticillioides, suggesting that papain can be an effective model for discovering compounds with therapeutic potential in protease-mediated diseases. Antifungal activity against Candida spp. was also observed in extracts cultivated on corn, specifically those from Fusarium petroliphilum and F. sacchari. Overall, these results highlight the biotechnological and pharmacological potential of fruit-associated fungi, opening new perspectives for the discovery of novel bioactive natural compounds.