Huperzine A production by Paecilomyces tenuis YS-13, an endophytic fungus isolated from Huperzia serrata

Abstract

Huperzine A (HupA), a naturally occurring alkaloid in the plant family Huperziaceae, has drawn great interest for its potential application in Alzheimer disease therapy. Our primary objective was to identify alkaloid- and HupA-producing fungi from the Chinese folk herb, Huperzia serrata. We established a rapid and efficient model for screening HupA-producing endophytic fungal strains. The presence of HupA in Paecilomyces tenuis YS-13 was analysed by thin-layer chromatography, high-performance liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry. The fermentation yield of HupA was 21.0 μg/L, and the IC₅₀ of the crude extract of YS-13 fermentation broth was 1.27 ± 0.04 mg/mL. This is the first report of P. tenuis as a HupA-producing endophyte isolated from Huperziaceae.

Keywords::

• huperzine A
• endophytic fungus
• Huperzia serrata
• Paecilomyces tenuis
• Alzheimer disease

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank Prof. Jun-cheng Zhang for his assistance in collecting plant materials. Prof. Dong-hui Yan and Prof. Qi Chen provided suggestions regarding the manuscript.

Additional information

Funding

This work was funded by the Key Project of the Department of Science and Technology of Fujian Province, China [grant number 2012N0013].