Identification of novel and safe fungicidal molecules against fusarium oxysporum from plant essential oils: in vitro and computational approaches.

Yousafi, Qudsia; Bibi, Shabana; Saleem, Shahzad; Hussain, Abrar; Hasan, Mohammad Mehedi; Tufail, Maria; Qandeel, Amina; Khan, Muhammad Saad; Mazhar, Sania; Yousaf, Maha; Moustafa, Mahmoud; Al-Shehri, Mohammed; Khalid, Mohammad; Kabra, Atul

Abstract

Phytopathogenic fungi are serious threats in the agriculture sector especially in fruit and vegetable production. The use of plant essential oil as antifungal agents has been in practice from many years. Plant essential oils (PEOs) of Cuminum cyminum, Trachyspermum ammi, Azadirachta indica, Syzygium aromaticum, Moringa oleifera, Mentha spicata, Eucalyptus grandis, Allium sativum, and Citrus sinensis were tested against Fusarium oxysporum. Three phase trials consist of lab testing (MIC and MFC), field testing (seed treatment and foliar spray), and computer-aided fungicide design (CAFD). Two concentrations (25 and 50 μl/ml) have been used to asses MIC while MFC was assessed at four concentrations (25, 50, 75, and 100 μl/ml). C. sinensis showed the largest inhibition zone (47.5 and 46.3 m2) for both concentrations. The lowest disease incidence and disease severity were recorded in treatments with C. sinensis PEO. Citrus sinensis that qualified in laboratory and field trials was selected for CAFD. The chemical compounds of C. sinensis PEO were docked with polyketide synthase beta-ketoacyl synthase domain of F. oxysporum by AutoDock Vina. The best docked complex was formed by nootkatone with -6.0 kcal/mol binding affinity. Pharmacophore of the top seven C. sinensis PEO compounds was used for merged pharmacophore generation. The best pharmacophore model with 0.8492 score was screened against the CMNP database. Top hit compounds from screening were selected and docked with polyketide synthase beta-ketoacyl synthase domain. Four compounds with the highest binding affinity and hydrogen bonding were selected for confirmation of lead molecule by doing MD simulation. The polyketide synthase-CMNPD24498 showed the highest stability throughout 80 ns run of MD simulation. CMNPD24498 (FW054-1) from Verrucosispora was selected as the lead compound against F. oxysporum.

Citation

YOUSAFI, Q., BIBI, S., SALEEM, S., HASSAIN, A., HASAN, M.M., TUFAIL, M., QANDEEL, A., KHAN, M.S., MAZHAR, S., YOUSAF, M., MOUSTAFA, M., AL-SHEHRI, M., KHALID, M. and KABRA, A. 2023. Identification of novel and safe fungicidal molecules against Fusarium oxysporum from plant essential oils: in vitro and computational approaches. BioMed research international [online], 2022: beneficial and harmful effects of aromatic medicinal plants, article ID 5347224. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1155/2022/5347224

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Jun 24, 2022
• Online Publication Date: Jul 26, 2022
• Publication Date: Jan 1, 2023
• Deposit Date: Aug 28, 2023
• Publicly Available Date: Oct 2, 2023
• Journal: BioMed research international
• Print ISSN: 2314-6133
• Electronic ISSN: 2314-6141
• Publisher: Hindawi
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 2022
• Article Number: 5347224
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1155/2022/5347224
• Keywords: Phytopathogenic fungi; plants; Fruit and vegetable production; Antifungal agents; Plant essential oils; Computer-aided fungicide design (CAFD)
• Public URL: https://rgu-repository.worktribe.com/output/2010190
• Additional Information: This article has been published with separate supporting information. This supporting information has been incorporated into a single file on this repository and can be found at the end of the file associated with this output.