Isolation, identification, and production optimization of natural functional pigments produced by Talaromyces atroroseus LWT-1

TL;DR

This study isolates and identifies pigments from a fungus, Talaromyces atroroseus LWT-1, and optimizes their production for potential use in various applications.

Contribution

The novel contribution is the isolation and identification of new pigments with cytotoxic activity and the optimization of their production conditions.

Findings

Talaroconvolutins A and B, and talarofuranone were identified as the main pigments from T. atroroseus LWT-1.

Talaroconvolutin A showed cytotoxic activity against cancer cells but was non-toxic to healthy cells.

Optimal fermentation conditions increased pigment yield significantly.

Abstract

Natural microbial pigments are gaining attention for their potential in various applications due to their safety and sustainability. In this study, we isolated a high-yielding pigment-producing fungus identified as Talaromyces atroroseus LWT-1. The predominant pigment compounds were isolated from the culture extract of T. atroroseus LWT-1 through various chromatographic methods and identified as talaroconvolutins A (1) and B (2), and talarofuranone (3). Compounds 1 and 3 exhibited cytotoxic activity against MCF7, Huh-7, and H446 lines with IC50 values ranging from 0.68 ± 0.09 to 4.19 ± 0.71 μM. In contrast, compound 1 was non-toxic to BEAS-2B cells and significantly promoted their proliferation. To optimize pigments yield, we conducted a series of single-factor and orthogonal experiments to determine the optimal fermentation conditions. The optimal conditions were determined to be: SDA culture medium, 32°C incubation temperature, 170 rpm shaking speed, 60 mL working volume in a 250 mL flask, and a culture duration of 120 h.

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