Evaluation of Antimicrobial and Anthelmintic Potential of Some Mushrooms from Pakistan

The present study is an attempt to evaluate the antimicrobial and anthelmintic potential of eight mushrooms collected from Pakistan. Eight mushrooms, namely Amanita ahmadii, Amanita cinnamomescens, Amanita flavipes, Amanita griseoannulata, Amanita pactosquamata, Amanita sclerisquobrunnea, Amanita citrinoannulatoides, and Limacella subtropicana, were used in the present study. The dried mushroom samples were ground to a fine powder form using pestle and mortar. Crude extracts of dried mushrooms were prepared by the process of maceration in non-polar (petroleum ether and chloroform) and polar (ethanol and distilled water) solvents. Antimicrobial activity was carried out using agar well diffusion method. Four bacterial strains (Bacillus subtilis, Curtobacterium albidum, Pseudomonas fluorescens, and Escherichia coli) and two fungal strains (Fusarium solani and Aspergillus niger) were selected as test organism. In antimicrobial potential maximum antibacterial potential (25.56 ± 0.176 mm) was shown by ethanol extract of Amanita pactosquamata against Escherichia coli. Similarly, maximum antifungal potential was exhibited by A. cinnamomescens against Aspergillus niger (24.25 ± 0.017 mm). In case of anthelmintic potential, the treatment period for death varied within 3.15 ± 0.020 to 15.05 ± 0.018 min at highest used concentration, with maximum time taken by A. cinnamomescens. From the present study, it can be concluded that these mushrooms could be potential source of curative antimicrobial and anthelmintic agents.