An endophytic Fungi of Ginkgo biloba L. produces antimicrobial metabolites as potential inhibitors of FtsZ of Staphylococcus aureus.

A total of 58 fungal isolates, belonging to 24 genera, were obtained from the leaves, stems and roots of Ginkgo biloba L.. Among them, one endophytic fungal strain, Penicillium cataractum SYPF 7131, displayed the strongest antibacterial activity. Four new compounds (1-4) were isolated from the strain fermentation broth together with four known compounds (5-8). These structures were determined on the basis of 1D and 2D NMR and [Rh2(OCOCF3)4]-induced electronic circular dichroism (ECD) spectroscopic analyses. All the isolated compounds were screened for their in vitro antimicrobial activities. Compound 3 and 4 showed moderate inhibitory activity against Staphylococcus aureus. Compound 7 exhibited significant inhibitory activity against S. aureus with MIC value of 10 μg/mL. Further, the in silico molecular docking studies of the active compounds was used to explore the binding interactions with the active site of filamentous temperature-sensitive protein Z (FtsZ) from Staphylococcus aureus. The docking results revealed that compounds 3, 4 and 7 showed high binding energies, strong H-bond interactions and hydrophobic interactions with FtsZ from S. aureus validating the observed antimicrobial activity. Based on antimicrobial activities and docking studies, compounds 3, 4 and 7 were identified as promising antimicrobial lead molecules.