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Grape (Vitis vinifera L.) is a highly valued product, but unfortunately it spoils quickly. It is very sensitive to post-harvest rot, especially caused by the fungus Botrytis cinerea, which reduces its storage life.
The fungus B. cinerea can infect all aboveground parts of the grapevine, including both ripe and unripe berries, leading to significant economic losses. Furthermore, the spread of this disease intensifies when infected berries come into contact with healthy ones during transportation and storage.
In recent decades, the primary methods to reduce post-harvest losses have been low storage temperatures and synthetic fungicides.
However, the effectiveness of low temperatures is limited in combating gray mold, as B. cinerea can still grow and sporulate even at temperatures as low as -0.5°C.
Relying solely on cold storage is insufficient for adequate control of gray mold.
Therefore, chemical control remains a primary approach to combat B. cinerea. However, the intensive use of fungicides poses risks to the environment and human health. Hence, the search for environmentally friendly and low-toxic antimicrobial agents becomes increasingly relevant.
In recent years, agricultural antibiotics of microbial origin have gained significant attention. Particularly, dactimicin—an important component of agricultural antibiotics—is widely used in China against crop rot, while salinomycin is known for its strong ability to inhibit the growth of pathogenic bacteria.
A multitude of studies have confirmed the effectiveness of various microbial secondary metabolites, such as tannosporin, natamycin, lucensomycin, and rapamycin, in the prevention and treatment of post-harvest fungi.
Amphotericin B (AMB), an important antifungal agent, is naturally produced by Streptomyces nodosus.
Furthermore, AMB has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as an effective broad-spectrum antifungal agent safe for humans. Recent studies have shown that high-dose liposomal AMB successfully cured a Candida albicans infection in a pregnant woman at the 25th week of pregnancy, allowing her to continue the pregnancy and deliver a healthy baby. AMB has also been proven to be an effective and safe treatment for endophthalmitis caused by Candida glabrata through intravitreal injection.
A study has also demonstrated the potential of AMB in controlling citrus rot caused by Penicillium italicum due to its antifungal properties. However, the potential efficacy and inhibition mechanism of AMB in combating gray mold in grapes remain unknown.
Researchers from the College of Ocean and Food Sciences and Technology at Jimei University in China conducted an evaluation of AMB's effectiveness in inhibiting B. cinerea both in vitro and in vivo, making a significant contribution to the current literature. They also elucidated the key mechanisms of action through a combination of transcriptomic analysis, fluorescent microscopy, and physiological and biochemical analyses.
All these results represent a comprehensive technical evaluation and theoretical basis for the potential commercial use of AMB as a novel effective antifungal agent.
In vitro experiments showed that 0.2 mg/L of AMB provides over 90% inhibition of B. cinerea, while in vivo analyses on grape berries revealed that treatment with 200 mg/L of AMB completely suppresses the occurrence of gray mold.
The mechanism of action of AMB involves disrupting the structure of the plasma membrane, leading to leakage of cellular contents and cell death.
Furthermore, AMB application enhances the transcriptional profile of genes related to oxidative-reductive balance, transmembrane transport, and peroxidase function in B. cinerea, thereby reducing the fungus's virulence.
Moreover, AMB treatment demonstrates the potential for activating defense mechanisms in table grapes by enhancing the activity of several enzymes.
All of this makes AMB a natural antifungal agent that effectively fights B. cinerea, extending the shelf life of grapes post-harvest.
