Foliar phenols and flavonoids level in pteridophytes: an insight to culturable fungal endophyte colonisation.

There are many available reports of secondary metabolites as bioactive molecules from culturable endophytes, nevertheless, there are scarce research pertaining to the levels of metabolites in plants with respect to the incidence and colonisation of fungal endophytes in the same foliar tissues. Therefore, the study was focussed to examine whether fungal endophyte colonisation and the accumulation of secondary metabolites, such as flavonoids and phenols, in the plants are related in any way. For this reason, the study aims to analyse phenols and flavonoids from the fronds of eleven pteridophytes along with the culture-dependent isolation of fungal endophytes from the host plants subsequently assigning them to morphological category and their quantitative analysis and further resolving its identities through molecular affiliation. The results revealed that nine morpho-categories of fungal endophytes were allotted based on culture attributes, hyphal patterns and reproductive structural characters. Highest numbers of species were isolated from Adiantum capillus-veneris and least was recorded from Pteris vittata and Dicranopteris linearis. Maximum phenol content was analysed from the fronds of P. vittata and lowest was recorded in A. capillus-veneris. Highest flavonoid content was measured in D. linearis and lowest was detected in Christella dentata. Significant negative correlation was observed between phenol content of ferns and species richness of fungi. Moreover, significant positive correlation was observed with the relative abundance of Chaetomium globosum and flavonoid content of ferns and negative significant relation was found between relative abundance of Pseudopestalotiopsis chinensis and phenol content of pteridophytes. The occurrence and the quantitative aspects of endophytes in ferns and their secondary metabolites are discussed.

Medicinal Properties of Clitocybe brunneocaperata (Agaricomycetes) from India.

The present research documented the first evidence of Clitocybe brunneocaperata from Tripura, Northeast India. The main purposes of this study were identification of the mushroom and qualitative toxicity screening along with antibacterial and antioxidant activities of its methanolic extracts. The species has been recognized on the basis of the morphometric and molecular studies. Toxicity test revealed its inedibility nature. Methanolic extracts of C. brunneocaperata showed potent antibacterial, free radical scavenging effect (65.42%), chelating effects on ferrous ion (65.93%), total phenolic content (0.028 mg GAE/g), and flavonoid content (0.013 mg CE/g). The lowest EC50 values of the free radical scavenging effect (5.94 mg/ml) and chelating effects on ferrous ion (0.072 mg/ml) were observed at 16 and 1.5 mg/ml concentrations, respectively, which implied stronger capability of free radical scavenging. Therefore, further research is also required to isolate and characterize the principal components of C. brunneocaperata.

Molecular Characterization and Antioxidant Potential of Three Wild Culinary-Medicinal Mushrooms from Tripura, Northeast India.

The aim of this study was to characterize 3 wild culinary-medicinal mushrooms using molecular tools and to analyze their antioxidant activity. Antioxidant properties were studied by evaluating free radical scavenging, reducing power, and chelating effect. The mushrooms were identified as Lentinus squarrosulus, L. tuber-regium, and Macrocybe gigantean by amplifying internal transcribed spacer regions of ribosomal DNA. The results demonstrated that the methanolic extract of M. gigantean has the highest free radical scavenging effect and chelating effect, whereas the methanolic extract of L. squarrosulus has the highest reducing power. The highest total phenol content and the most ascorbic acid were found in the M. gigantean extracts. Among the 3 mushroom extracts, M. gigantean displayed the most potent antioxidant activity. Molecular characterization using the nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer region as a universal DNA marker was an effective tool in the identification and phylogenetic analysis of the studied mushrooms. The study also indicated that these wild macrofungi are rich sources of natural antioxidants.