Antiproliferative and Antibacterial Potentials of Endophytic Fungi Associated with Bangladeshi Medicinal Plant Tinospora Cordifolia

Abstract

Endophytes provide mutual benefits and produce various biologically active secondary metabolites in
plants. Our study was designed to isolate and identify fungal endophytes from fresh leaf and bark of Tinospora
cordifolia, coupled with their bioactivity and preliminary chemical screening. Six endophytic fungi were isolated
using surface sterilization technique. The fungi were identified by microscopic and molecular characterization and
confirmed TCLE-1 as Fusarium perseae, TCLE-2 as Fusarium keratoplasticum, TCLE-3 as fusarium
macrosporum, TCBE-1 as Fusarium falciforme and TCBE-2 as well as TCBE-3 leaving unidentified. Isolated
strains were cultured in large scale on potato dextrose agar (PDA) medium and were extracted using ethyl acetate.
Antibacterial activity of fungal extracts was performed by disc diffusion method and cytotoxicity using HeLa cell
line by MTT assay. In antimicrobial test, all the fungal extracts except TCBE-2 showed moderate to potent activity
in comparison to the standard kanamycin. All, except TCBE-2, demonstrated significant cytotoxic activity on HeLa
cell. Preliminary chemical profiling using thin liquid chromatography (TLC) and analytical high performance liquid
chromatography techniques indicated the presence of secondary metabolites in fungal extracts. In conclusion,
endophytic fungi reside in the T. cordifolia, a native medicinal plant in Bangladesh, could be a potent source of
putative antibacterial and anticancer compounds.