Abstract:
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) are considered as organic pollutants and occur naturally
in fossil fuels. The burning of fossil fuels, garbage, or other organic substances causes the
accumulation of PAHs in the environmental components such as air, water, and soil causing both
short-term and long-term environmental issues. Bioremediation of environmental pollutants has
gained momentum during the last few years. The symbiotic relationship between endophytes and
host plants involves both mutualism and antagonism. Catabolic enzymes excreted by endophytic
fungi to increase their adaptability can be utilized to degrade PAHs efficiently. In the present study,
endophytic fungi grown in three well established invasive plants; Prosopis juliflora (Kalapu
Andara), Acacia auriculiformis ( Acacia), and Annona glabra (Wel atha) collected from Kalamatiya
Sanctuary, Rekawa lagoon, and Kirala Kale of the Southern province respectively, and have been
studied for bioremediation of PAH contamination. Endophytic fungi were successfully isolated and
identified from the root suspension of above mentioned invasive plants. Five pure cultures were
confirmed among twelve isolated samples and pure cultures were analyzed for their potential in
degrading PAHs on Bacto Bushnell-Haas medium. The model PAHs, Naphthalene, and Anthracene
were used as the carbon source separately. The spectrophotometric analysis confirmed acceptable
degradation of both model PAHs by Penicillium sp1, Penicillium sp2, Aspergillus sp1, Aspergillus
sp2, and Aspergillus sp3. The highest naphthalene and anthracene biodegradation percentages were
shown by Penicillium sp2 and Aspergillus sp2 with values of (85.13±0.27) and (70.17±0.41)
respectively, where the biodegradation percentages were significantly different compared to the
control (Kruskal-Wallis; P<0.05). The findings of the study provide insight into how these
endophytic fungi could be used for bioremediation of PAHs in environmental sites where
contamination prevails and open avenues for future research in the relevant field. Further, the
invasive plants can also be exploited beneficially by using them for bioremediation.
