Yield enhancement strategy of dithiolopyrrolone from Saccharothrix algeriensis by aliphatic alcohols supplementation

[Display omitted] •Yields enhancement strategy of dithiolopyrrolones from Saccharothrix algeriensis.•Use of chemical elicitors to control the microbial behavior.•Stimulation of microbial secondary metabolism by the ethanol-mediated stress exposure.•Involvement of Reactive Oxygen Species in the dithiolopyrrolones biosynthesis regulation.•Easy procedure to enhance the dithiolopyrrolones productivity. The production of dithiolopyrrolones by Saccharothrix algeriensis was investigated after supplementing the culture medium with ethanol and/or 1-butanol. Optimal conditions for the addition of ethanol to the culture medium provided a maximal dithiolopyrrolone titer of about 200 mg⋅L−1 after 5 days of culture, roughly corresponding to a 600%-increase. Using NAD(P)H oxidase inhibitor (diphenyleneiodonium) or reactive oxygen species scavenger (para-aminobenzoic acid), we suppose that ethanol promotes the formation of reactive oxygen species in Saccharothrix algeriensis, which, in turn, could induce biomass decline and dithiolopyrrolone overproduction. However, the underlying mechanisms remain to be elucidated. These results may be helpful for the control of dithiolopyrrolone yields from Saccharothrix algeriensis cultures.