Antifungal, Antioxidant Activity, and GC-MS Profiling of Diaporthe amygdali GWS39: A First Report Endophyte from Geranium wallichianum.

Abstract

Endophytic fungi serve as vital reservoirs of natural products. This study investigates the role of the endophytic fungus, Diaporthe amygdali GWS39, isolated from Geranium wallichianum D. Don Ex Sweet aerial stem. Showing a notable resemblance to Diaporthe amygdali, as confirmed through microscopic, molecular and phylogenetic techniques, this fungal endophyte displays promising antifungal and antioxidant capabilities. Remarkably, the present research marks the first report of D. amygdali as a stem inhabiting endophyte in an herbaceous perennial, Geranium wallichianum D. Don Ex Sweet on a global scale. This study pioneers the documentation of broad-spectrum antifungal activity exhibited by endophyte D. amygdali GWS39 against some economically important pathogens. The antioxidant activity of D. amygdali GWS39 crude extracts showed strong positive correlation, with R² values of 0.99 for the methanolic extract and 0.93 for the ethyl acetate extract, indicating high antioxidant potential. In addition, the current investigation likely signifies the initial record of the bioactive chemical constituents of the endophyte D. amygdali GWS39 using GC-MS. In the GC-MS chromatogram of ethyl acetate extract, cyclohexaneamine, phenol, 2,6, dimethoxy-, benzenesulphonamide, N-(2,6, dimethylphenyl)-2-ethoxy-5-(tetrazol-1-yl), morpholine, 1-, beta, -d-Ribofuranosyl-3-[5-tetraazolyl]-1,2,4, triazole were identified. These compounds are previously reported for potent antibacterial, antifungal, antioxidant, antiviral, anticancer activities. The analysis of methanolic crude extract uncovers the presence of compounds such as arsenous acid tris(trimethylsilyl) ester, n-Hexadecanoic acid, methyl 10,11-octadecadienoate with noted antibiotic, antifungal, anti-inflammatory, antiviral, antihistaminic and anticancer activities.