Antifungal activity of mycelia of medicinal mushrooms Fomes fomentarius and Fomitopsis pinicola (Polyporales, Agaricomycetes) against potentially pathogenic for humans and animals keratinophilic fungi

The treatment of widely spread fungal infections, particularly in immune-compromised patients, causes different side effects, therefore a search for natural sources of antimycotic compounds is in demand. Data regarding the antifungal activity (AFA) of Fomes fomentarius and Fomitopsis pinicola is scarce.

The AFA of different collections of F. fomentarius and F. pinicola were studied in dual culture experiments against potentially pathogenic for humans/animals keratinophilic fungi Microsporum gypseum, Trichophyton terrestre and Chrysosporium keratinophilum. Cultural liquid (CL) and mycelial biomass were obtained after cultivation of mycelia using liquid medium. Biomass was extracted by ethanol to obtain mycelial extract (ME). The AFA was evaluated by agar dilution method. The morphological changes of contacted colonies were described and mycelial growth rate (GR) was calculated.

In 97.1% of interactions, the AFA of F. fomentarius and F. pinicola towards M. gypseum, T. terrestre and C. keratinophilum was revealed by overgrowth reactions on test fungi. The CL of F. fomentarius suppressed the GR of T. terrestre and M. gypseum by up to 42.9 % and 58.3 %, respectively, while the CL of F. pinicola supressed GR of M. gypseum by 86.5 % and showed fungistatic effect against M. gypseum and C. keratinophilum, as well as fungistatic/fungicidic effects against T. terrestre. The ME samples suppressed the GR of T. terrestre, M. gypseum and C. keratinophilum by 25.0%, 29.2% and 13.0 %, respectively.

Thus, F. fomentarius and F. pinicola are considered potential sources of extra- and intracellular antifungal metabolites.