Unveiling the Metabolites and Biological Characteristics of Swampomyces armeniacus from Red Sea Mangroves Ecosystems

Obligate marine fungi associated with mangroves are a unique group that fulfils significant ecological functions in mangrove ecosystems. The present study aimed to assess the antimicrobial, antioxidant, and anticancer potentials of the marine fungus "Swampomyces armeniacus" isolated and characterized (on both morphological and molecular levels) from mangroves located in RAS Mohamed natural protectorate on the Red Sea coast; along with determining the metabolomics profiling of the candidate species. The antimicrobial capability was assessed via the agar well diffusion method against 6 strains (Bacillus cereus, Staphylococcus aureus, Shigella sonnei, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Candida albicans, and Aspergillus niger) alongside determining the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) by two-fold microdilution method. The study findings indicated that S. armeniacus crude extract had antimicrobial activity against all test strains whereas the strongest effect was against B. cereus with MIC value 0.7 μg/ml. Moreover, the antioxidant potential was determined via DPPH which showed strong radical scavenging activity of 88.3% and IC50 = 20.4 μg/mL. Additionally, the extract exhibited significant anticancer activity against A549 lung cancer cells, with an IC50 value of 15.57 ± 0.27 µg/mL, while showing minimal toxicity toward normal Wi38 cells (IC50 = 37.71 ± 0.31 µg/mL). GC-MS investigation of S. armeniacus crude extract exhibiting antimicrobial, antioxidant, and anticancer related bioactive compounds such as (Di-tert-butylhydroquinone, 4-Aminocyclohexanecarboxylic acid) and various fatty acids namely (stearic acid, palmitic acid, Ethanedioic acid, and Butanedioic acid). These results highlight the biological activity of S. armeniacus and emphasizing its potential as a unique source of bioactive molecules for biotechnological and therapeutic applications.