Flavipin in Chaetomium globosum CDW7, an endophytic fungus from Ginkgo biloba, contributes to antioxidant activity

1,2-Benzenedicarboxaldehyde-3,4,5-trihydroxy-6-methyl (flavipin) was found to be antagonistic against nematodes and fungi. Here we demonstrated that flavipin is a potent antioxidant in vitro and in vivo, which has great potential in the therapy for free radical-associated diseases. Therefore, flavipin-producing bio-source was screened from 80 endophytes in Ginkgo biloba. Seven endophytic fungi were able to synthesize antioxidant substances and identified by ITS rDNA sequences. Among them, Chaetomium globosum CDW7 was a remarkable producer of flavipin. The fermentation parameters of CDW7 were then optimized for high flavipin production. Cultured under the optimal condition (25 °C, 100/250 mL flask, 12 discs/flask, 150 rpm, pH 6.5) for 14 days, CDW7 was able to synthesize flavipin at a production of 315.5 mg/L. In addition, flavipin output was positively correlated to antioxidant activities of crude extracts with a correlation coefficient of 0.8235, indicating that flavipin was the major antioxidant component of CDW7's metabolites. These data demonstrated that CDW7 was a highly yielded bio-source of antioxidant flavipin.