Comparative Analysis of the Biological Activity and Chromatographic Profiles of the Extracts of Beauveria bassiana and B. pseudobassiana Cultures Grown on Different Nutrient Substrates

Soil, enodphytic, and insect-pathogenic micromycetes of the genus Beauveria are widespread in nature and are important producers on mycoinsecticides, enzymes, and pharmacologically usable and toxic compounds. The goal of the work was to determine chemodiagnostic approaches to differentiation of Beauveria cryptic species using the strains B. bassiana BBL and B. pseudobassiana BCu22 by comparing their toxicological properties (insecticidal, antimicrobial, phytotoxic, cytotoxic, and esterase-inhibition activity) and metabolite profiles (TLC and HPLC/DAD patterns) of the extracts from the cultures of these fungi growing on different loose substrates, on solid and liquid media. It was shown that when the strains were cultured in liquid media (SDAY and Adámek medium) and on solid substrates (millet and Czapek agar medium), they could be differentiated by the extract yield and chromatographic profiles, as well as by their insecticidal, antifungal, and cytotoxic activity. Thus, antifungal properties were more pronounced in B. pseudobassiana BCu22 grown in liquid Adámek and SDAY media, while cytotoxic properties were more notable in B. bassiana BBL grown in Adámek medium and on millet. Insecticidal properties of the extracts from these cultures varied depending on the substrate composition. Since the extracts of the studied fungi exhibited a broad spectrum of biological activity, the toxic properties of Beauveria spp. should be considered in the course of assessment of safety of these fungi as bioinsecticides.