Anti-inflammatory Potential of Endophytic Chaetomium globosum from Drynaria quercifolia: In Vitro Evaluation and In silico Investigation of NF-Κb signalling Modulation

Abstract

Endophytic fungi inhabiting medicinal plants are recognized as prolific producers of bioactive secondary metabolites with diverse pharmacological activities. However, the anti-inflammatory potential of endophytic fungi associated with Drynaria quercifolia remains largely unexplored. In the present study, endophytic fungi isolated from Drynaria quercifolia were investigated for their anti-inflammatory potential through integrated in vitro, in silico assessments. A total of seventeen endophytic fungal isolates were recovered and screened for antibacterial activity, of which six active isolates were selected for further analysis. Among these, isolate SK04 exhibited the highest anti-inflammatory activity, showing 72.63% inhibition of albumin denaturation and 69.14% inhibition in the HRBC membrane stabilization assay in the ethyl acetate extract. Based on ITS rRNA gene sequencing, SK04 was identified as Chaetomium globosum. The ethyl acetate extract of SK04 also exhibited significant concentration-dependent antioxidant activity, with maximum radical scavenging activities of 74.9%, 78.0%, and 68.3% in the DPPH, ABTS, and H₂O₂ assays, respectively, at 200 µg/mL. GC–MS analysis revealed twenty metabolites, among which catechol and 2,4-di-tert-butylphenol were selected for molecular docking studies. Both compounds exhibited favorable binding interactions with proteins involved in the NF-κB Pathway Proteins. Cytotoxicity assessment against Vero cells revealed low toxicity, with cell viability remaining above 85% at all tested concentrations. These findings highlight the potential of Chaetomium globosum as a source of anti-inflammatory metabolites and pave the way for future investigations into their pharmacological applications.