Volatile organic compounds produced by Aureobasidium pullulans induce electrolyte loss and oxidative stress in Botrytis cinerea and Alternaria alternata

Aureobasidium pullulans is a yeast-like fungus that produces volatile organic compounds (VOCs) with antifungal properties. VOCs have the potential to trigger the production of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS), lipid peroxidation and electrolyte loss in microorganisms. The relationship among A. pullulans VOCs, induced ROS accumulation and electrolyte leakage was investigated in Botrytis cinerea and Alternaria alternata in vitro. Exposure to a mixture of A. pullulans VOCs: ethanol, 2-methyl-1-propanol, 3-methyl-1-butanol and 2-phenylethanol, resulted in electrolyte leakage in both B. cinerea and A. alternata. Fluorescence microscopy using 2′,7′-dichlorofluorescein diacetate indicated triggered ROS accumulation in exposed fungal mycelia and the presence of the superoxide radical was evident by intense red fluorescence with dihydroethidium. Partial inhibition of enzymes of the mitochondrial respiratory chain complex I of B. cinerea and A. alternata by pre-treatment with rotenone reduced ROS accumulation in hypha exposed to A. pullulans VOCs and reversed the VOCs inhibition of fungal growth. Scanning electron micrographs revealed that B. cinerea and A. alternata hypha exposed to A. pullulans VOCs had altered cell wall structures. Our findings give insights into the potential mechanisms involved in the antifungal properties of A. pullulans in the suppression of B. cinerea and A. alternata growth in vitro.