The Role of Quorum Sensing in Enhancing Lovastatin and Pigment Production in <i>Monascus purpureus</i> C322
2025
Sirisha Yerramalli | Stephen J. Getting | Godfrey Kyazze | Tajalli Keshavarz
<i>Monascus purpureus</i> is a filamentous fungus known for producing pharmaceutically valuable secondary metabolites, including azaphilone pigments and lovastatin. Lovastatin is an HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor widely used to manage hypercholesterolaemia, while <i>Monascus</i> pigments serve as natural colourants with antioxidant and antimicrobial properties. This study evaluated the impact of quorum-sensing molecules (QSMs)—tyrosol (0.3 mM), farnesol (0.2 mM) and linoleic acid (0.4 mM)—on pigment and lovastatin yields in shake flasks and 2.5 L stirred-tank bioreactors. QSMs were introduced 48 h post-inoculation in shake flasks and 24 h in bioreactors. All QSMs increased yellow (OD<sub>400</sub>), orange (OD<sub>470</sub>), and red (OD<sub>510</sub>) pigments and lovastatin concentration relative to the control, with scale-up further enhancing yields. Farnesol produced the most pronounced effect: in flasks, OD<sub>400</sub> 7.10 (1.86-fold), OD<sub>470</sub> 8.00 (2.12-fold), OD<sub>510</sub> 7.80 (2.08-fold), and 74.6 mg/L lovastatin (2.05-fold); in bioreactors, OD<sub>400</sub> 11.9 (2.06-fold), OD<sub>470</sub> 15.1 (2.71-fold), OD<sub>510</sub> 13.7 (2.47-fold), and 97.2 mg/L lovastatin (2.48-fold). This was followed by tyrosol treatment and then linoleic acid. These findings demonstrate that QSMs—particularly farnesol—significantly (<i>p</i> < 0.01) stimulate pigment and lovastatin biosynthesis in <i>M. purpureus</i>. Quorum sensing modulation represents a promising, scalable strategy to optimise fungal fermentation for industrial metabolite production.
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