Katielle Vieira Avelino

Basidiomycetes produce a wide range of bioactive metabolites, yet the effects of fungal co-cultivation on phenolic composition and associated biological properties remain poorly understood. This study investigated the phenolic composition and antioxidant, photoprotective, and anti-tyrosinase activities of mycelial extracts obtained from four basidiomycetes cultivated either alone or in paired cultures. Phenolic compounds were characterized by HPLC, and the identified metabolites were further evaluated using target prediction, enrichment analyses, PASS prediction, ADME profiling, and toxicity assessment. Nine phenolic compounds were identified across ten cultivation systems. Catechin and syringic acid were detected only in selected paired cultures, indicating that fungal interactions altered phenolic composition. The highest antioxidant activities were observed for P. sanguineus and T. polyzona cultivated alone, while SPF reached 39 in P. ostreatus, T. polyzona, Lentinus + Pycnoporus, and Pycnoporus + Trametes. Tyrosinase inhibition reached 92.7% in the axenic culture of P. ostreatus and remained above 90% in selected co-cultures. Computational analyses identified enrichment of biological processes related to oxidative stress and UV responses, as well as pathways including PI3K-Akt, FoxO, HIF-1, and p53. PASS prediction indicated that catechin, quercetin, and myricetin showed the highest probabilities for antioxidant activity, inhibition of lipid peroxidation and NADPH oxidase, and melanin synthesis inhibition, while ADMET predicted good solubility and high gastrointestinal absorption for most of the identified metabolites. Fungal interactions altered the phenolic composition of basidiomycete mycelia and influenced their biological activities, indicating that co-cultivation may be a useful strategy for modulating the production of bioactive metabolites.

White-rot basidiomycetes such as Lentinus crinitus produce laccases with potential use in dye biodegradation. However, high productivity and enzymes with specific properties are required in order to make viable laccase production. We aimed to produce laccase from Lentinus crinitus grown in sugarcane bagasse for dye decolorization. Solid state cultivation medium had sugarcane bagasse added with a nutrient solution of 10 g/L glucose, 1 g/L KH₂PO₄, 0.5 g/L MgSO₄, 0.001 g/L FeSO₄, 0.01 g/L ZnSO₄, and 0.01 g/L MnSO₄. The addition of different nitrogen sources (peptone, urea, or peptone plus urea) and different nitrogen concentrations (0, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8, 1.0, and 1.2 g/L) were evaluated. Enzymatic extract was used in the decolorization of azo dyes, reactive blue 220 (RB220) and reactive black 5 (RB5), and anthraquinone dye, Remazol brilliant blue R (RBBR). The greatest laccase activity (4800 U/g dry mass) occurred when the peptone and urea mixture was added to the solid state cultivation medium. When the nitrogen concentration was 1 g/L, the laccase activity increased to 6555 U/g dry mass. The laccase activity peak occurred on the 10th day, and the maximum decolorization within 24 h was observed with enzymatic extracts obtained on different cultivation days, i.e., 6th day for RB220, 10th day for RB5, and 9th day for RBBR. Manganese and lignin peroxidases were not produced when nitrogen was added to the cultivation medium. The crude enzymatic extract was more effective in the decolorization of azo dyes (RB220 and RB5), more than 90% of decolorization, than anthraquinone dye with 77% decolorization.