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Molecular Identification, Mycelial Growth Kinetics, and Antimicrobial Potential of Newly Isolated Medicinal Mushroom Fomitopsis pinicola from Bulgaria

Summary

Scientists isolated and studied a medicinal mushroom called Fomitopsis pinicola from Bulgaria. They confirmed its identity using DNA analysis and tested how well it grows on different nutrient media. The mushroom showed strong antimicrobial effects against disease-causing bacteria, especially when extracted with water, making it a promising candidate for developing new antibiotics to fight antibiotic-resistant infections.

Background

Fomitopsis pinicola is a medicinal mushroom with documented therapeutic properties including anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, and immunomodulatory effects. Despite its potential, research on in vitro cultivation and growth kinetics remains limited. Controlled cultivation offers a sustainable alternative to wild harvesting for producing fungal biomass rich in bioactive compounds.

Objective

To characterize a newly isolated F. pinicola strain from Bulgaria through molecular identification and phylogenetic analysis, evaluate its mycelial growth kinetics on various culture media, and assess the antimicrobial potential of fungal extracts.

Results

Molecular analysis confirmed the strain as F. pinicola with 99.84% BLAST identity, clustering within the European F. pinicola clade. MCM, MEA, MYE, PDA, YEA, and YMA media showed the highest specific growth rates (0.9-0.925 d⁻¹). The aqueous extract demonstrated the strongest antimicrobial activity against Escherichia coli (MIC 312.5 µg/mL) and hexane extract against Salmonella enteritidis (MIC 312.5 µg/mL).

Conclusion

The newly isolated F. pinicola strain shows promising antimicrobial potential, particularly with water-based extracts, supporting its development for pharmaceutical applications against multidrug-resistant bacteria. Optimized cultivation on appropriate media can enhance biomass production for bioactive compound extraction and future drug development.
  • Published in:Journal of Fungi,
  • Study Type:Experimental Research,
  • Source: PMID: 41149917, DOI: 10.3390/jof11100727
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