Recently, the team of Professor Gao Wenyuan in the School of Pharmaceutical Science and Technology (SPST) of Tianjin University developed biological antifungal agent for root rot. The relevant research is published on Chemical Engineering Journal as "ZnO-S.cerevisiae: An effective growth promoter of Astragalus memeranaceus and nano-antifungal agent against Fusarium oxysporum".

Su Yaowu, master student of SPST, was the first author of the paper. Gao Professor Wenyuan, Associate professor Wang Juan of SPST, and Guo Lanping, researcher of China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, were the corresponding authors of the paper.

ZnO-S.cerevisiae not only is an antifungal agent to inhibit root rot, but also promotes growth and metabolism of A.memeranaceus. The mechanism showed that ZnO-S.cerevisiae inhibited the growth of F.oxysporum, stimulated antifungal components and resistance genes of A.memeranaceus. The multifunctional ZnO-S.cerevisiae with superior antifungal activity provides a promising alternative to the traditional antifungal agents and has great potential in plant protection.

Astragalus memeranaceus has been used to treat diseases for thousands of years, which is the dried root of legume A.membranaceus (Fisch.) Bge. var. mongholicus (Bge.) Hsiao or A.membranaceus (Fisch.) Bunge. A.memeranaceus can resist viruses, preserve the myocardium, and exhibits other biological activities, including antiaging, anti-infective, cytoprotective, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant. Due to destructive exploitation, cultivation are main resource, and root rot is a common disease in the cultivation of A.memeranaceus caused by Fusarium oxysporum. Although, pesticides have good effects, they caused great damage to the environment. The emerging nanomaterials are a kind of prevalent antimicrobial method with stable, environmentally friendly, cost-efficient characteristic.

Fig.1 Introduction

ZnO-S.cerevisiae can decompose ROS into H2O by increasing the activity of SOD and CAT of Astragalus memeranaceus, and prevent conversion into the harmful MDA. On the other hand, ZnO-S.cerevisiae disrupts the expression of genes related to normal physiological activities of Fusarium oxysporum. It can also induce resistance of A.memeranaceus, such as Cluster-42933.0, and promote the secretion of antifungal metabolites, such as rhamnazin. CAT, catalase; MDA, malondialdehyde; POD, peroxidase; ROS, reactive oxygen species; SOD, Superoxide dismutase.