In-vitro and in-silico evaluation of antimicrobial and antibiofilm secondary metabolites of a novel fungal endophyte, Albophoma sp. BAPR5

Endophytic fungi inhabiting medicinal plants are promising sources of novel secondary metabolites and potential drug leads, many of which possess clinically significant antimicrobial activities. In this study, we investigated the antimicrobial potential of the endophytic fungus BAPR5, which was isolated from the rhizome of Astilbe rivularis, a medicinal plant used in traditional Bhutanese medicine. The fungus was identified as Albophoma sp. BAPR5 based on morphological and molecular characteristics. The ethyl acetate-based fungal extract showed antibacterial and antifungal activities against test microbes, with the highest inhibition observed against Staphylococcus epidermidis (19.93 ± 0.40). The extract also showed antibiofilm activity against Escherichia coli. GC–MS analysis of the ethyl acetate extract revealed the presence of 16 compounds, including the rare antifungal compound Hexa-1,3,5-triyne. Besides, significant compounds detected were 4-Heptanol, 2,2-dimethyl-, 2-ethylhexyl ester, Phenylethyl alcohol, 1,2-benzenedicarboxylic acid, Hentriacontane and bis (2-methylpropyl) ester. LC-MS/MS analysis revealed the presence of 26 compounds including Pyridoxatin, Pyrenocine A, Tryptophol, Bassiatin, Fuscin, Myricetin, Farylhydrazone A, Chaunolidine C, etc. The in-silico studies on drug likeness, bioactivity, antimicrobial, and antibiofilm activity also confirmed the potential of Albophoma sp. BAPR5 secondary metabolites. Our findings demonstrate that BAPR5 produces bioactive compounds with potent antimicrobial properties. These results suggest that endophytic fungi like BAPR5 represent a valuable source of potent antimicrobial agents that may have important clinical applications.