Antioxidant and Antifungal Activity of Endophytic Fungi Associated with Agarwood Trees

Abstract

Several species of Aquilaria and Gyrinops are native to Indonesia and well known as agarwood-producing trees with a high economic value. Their bioactive compounds have a wide spectrum of uses, such as in medicine and cosmetics. These genera have undergone extensive search for novel bioactive compounds. The purpose of this study was to isolate, identify, and characterize the endophytic fungi community associated with Aquilaria malaccensis, A. microcarpa, Gyrinops versteegii, and A. crassna trees and investigate their bioactive properties as antioxidant agents and antagonists. A total of 50 fungi were successfully isolated from different tissues of the four species of agarwood-producing trees. Two isolates exhibited strong antioxidant activity, namely, Apodus oryzae (R2MC3A, IC50 60.92 mg/mL) and Diaporthe sp. (P1DS1[C], IC50 76.65 mg/mL). Two isolates, Pestalotiopsis theae (P3BS3[B]) and Curvularia sp. (P2CD3A), showed >75% antifungal activity against pathogenic Fusarium solani. The results revealed that endophytic fungi associated with the studied agarwood-producing trees had potential antioxidant and antifungal activities for further applications in biotechnology.