Graduation Year

2023

Document Type

Thesis

Degree

M.S.

Degree Name

Master of Science (M.S.)

Degree Granting Department

Chemistry

Major Professor

Bill J. Baker, Ph.D.

Committee Member

James W. Leahy, Ph.D.

Committee Member

Wayne C. Guida, Ph.D.

Keywords

natural products, endophytic fungi, secondary metabolites, drug discovery

Abstract

Natural products hold a significant place in drug discovery for their abundant and unique secondary metabolites. These secondary metabolites which encompass a range of organic compounds such as alkaloids, phenols, peptides, flavonoids, polyketides, and terpenoids, can easily be exploited for drug development. Endophytic fungi, residing harmoniously with its host, have emerged as generous producers of bioactive secondary metabolites, displaying efficacy against a wide array of human pathogens, including the challenging ESKAPE pathogens.

The research explores endophytic fungi and their prospective for drug discovery and development through the synthesis of distinctive secondary metabolites. Endophytic fungus, HM13-26C-2B, collected from Honeymoon Island, Florida serves as subject for the isolation and characterization of secondary metabolites. Dereplication and compound isolation techniques are used to identify and isolate the compounds of interest. Dereplication involves the use of LC-MS/MS, results in the identification of known toxins and a diverse range of secondary metabolites through molecular networking.

The sample was subjected to multiple partitioning, fractionation and the isolated compounds were characterized by using advanced analytical techniques such as NMR analysis and mass spectrometry. Through these steps, the chemical structure and properties of the compounds are elucidated and helps in the investigations of the multifaceted roles of endophytic fungi in drug discovery by harnessing their ability to produce unique and bioactive secondary metabolites.

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