Stress is more: polyextremotolerant black fungi as source of bioactive compounds
Abstract
Sunlight (UV light) induces the formation of free radicals which cause damage to the collagen fibres in human skin. Premature skin aging is the result. In the epidermis, UVA and UVB radiation can cause skin cell damage and even skin cancer. Unlike humans, some organisms on the Earth are able to protect themselves very well from the negative effects of the sun and from free radicals. True experts in cell protection are microfungi from rocky environments and desert areas, including the Arctic and Antarctic, which are considered the most stress-resistant eukaryotes on Earth. They are able to cope with extreme doses of UV radiation, extreme pH values, salt stress and dehydration, factors that cause considerable stress or even cell death for most known organisms. Biomolecules from those fungi can be of great interest for biotechnology and especially for cosmetic but also for medical and dermatological applications. Therefore, the aim of the present project is to decipher the properties of extracts from the unique rock-colonizing fungi and to investigate their effects on the constituents of human skin cells. Due to its remarkable resistance to UV radiation and ozone, the focus of the present project is the extremotolerant fungus Knufia chersonesos - originally isolated from marble ruins of the ancient city of Chersonesos on the Crimean peninsula. The influence of the fungal extracts on the regeneration of fibroblasts and keratinocytes after exposure to UV and ozone will be investigated by a series of tests on the corresponding cell lines. It will be determined whether the cell extracts have a positive effect as protection against persistent oxidative stress and the associated cell damage. The results are an essential basis for further projects and for the initiation of cooperation with biotech companies in Vienna.
keywords Bioactive compound Fungal extracts Fibroblast Oxidative stress Human skin cell lines