Investigation on the antifungal activity of Aspergillus giganteus in different culture conditions

Systemic fungal diseases are therapeutic crises which additionally have high mortality rates in case of deferred treatment. Nowadays, antimicrobial potential of several natural compounds have been demonstrated in a wider aspects. This study investigates the antagonist efficacy of Antifungal Proteins (AFP) from Aspergillus giganteus to treat fungal infections. The antagonistic efficacy of Aspergillus giganteus is determined by performing dual culturing and was further proved by hyphal interactions. The culture conditions for maximum antagonistic effect at different pH, temperature, carbon and, nitrogen sources were optimized. The antagonistic potential of AFP against the human pathogen Aspergillus flavus was highly influenced by various culture conditions. The level of inhibition by Afp was 84%, when dextrose was used as the carbon source along with (NH4)H2PO4 as the nitrogen source. The antagonistic was enhanced at pH 7 as 85% in while 80% inhibition was attained at the temperature 28°C. The inhibitory potential of AFP from Aspergillus giganteus can be used as a lead compound for development of antifungal drugs.