Screening of different Fusarium species for bioassay of lovastatin

Abstract

The aim of this research is to Bioassay of lovastatin from Fusarium spp. obtained from NTCC, Forest Pathology Discipline, Forest Protection Division, Forest Research Institute, Dehradun, India. Lovstatin is an inhibitor of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme-A- reducatase (HMG-CoA reducatse) enzyme and a competitive inhibitor of the biosynthesis of cholesterol. In the present study, six different fungal species viz., Fusarium oxysporum (NTCC 367), F. moniliforme (NTCC 390), F. avenaceum (NTCC 1056), Fusarium equiseti (NTCC 1142), Fusarium solani (NTCC 1145) and Fusarium semitectum (NTCC 1150) were screened for lovastatin production in liquid and solid growth media. The lovastatin extraction from the fungal colonies was done by centrifugation and filtration method. Different techniques viz., paper disc and well preparation were employed to compare their relative sensitivity and efficacy. All the Fusarium spp. Shows positive result for lovastatin bioassay. According to results it was concluded that in comparison to the liquid medium (Potato Dextrose Broth), the solid medium (Potato Dextrose Agar) was more able to produce lovastatin.