The Phytochemical and Antimicrobial Properties of the Extracts Obtained from Trametes elegans Collected from Osengere in Ibadan, Nigeria

The phytochemical and antimicrobial properties of the extracts of the wild macrofungus, Trametes elegans (Spreng: Fr.) Fr. (fam.: Polyporaceae) obtained from a farm in Osengere, Egbeda local government area of Ibadan, Oyo State was investigated. The identity of the macrofungus was confirmed by amplifying and sequencing the Internal Transcribed Spacer (ITS 4 and ITS 5) of its nuclear ribosomal DNA (nrDNA). Extracts from the powdered fruiting bodies of the macrofungus were obtained by soaking in methanol and acetone. Antimicrobial effect of the macrofungus extracts was performed on clinical and referenced microbial cultures using standard microbiological techniques. In addition, phytochemical analysis of the Trametes species extracts was assessed qualitatively and quantitatively. The level of relatedness of Trametes species collected in Osengere and the already existing gene sequences of Trametes species in NCBI GenBank was 98%. Its closest relative is T. elegans. Phytochemical analysis revealed the presence of saponin, tannins, flavonoid, steroid, terpenoid, and cardiac glycosides in all the extracts with values ranging from 6.726 to 23.682 mg/g. The extracts of T. elegans displayed varying antimicrobial activities with zones of inhibition ranging from 1.50 to 25.50mm. The methanol extract of the macrofungus exhibited a better antibacterial activity against Bacillus cereus NCIB 6344 (20.5 mm), while the acetone extract of the macrofungus exhibited a higher antifungal activity against Aspergillus fumigates (25.5 mm). In light of this finding, T. elegans, collected from Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria, could be considered as potential sources of natural antimicrobial and could be of a great importance for the treatment of infectious diseases caused by the test organisms.