Antibacterial and cytotoxic activities of wild mushroom Fomes fomentarius (L.) Fr., Polyporaceae

• Antibacterial potential of four different extracts of Fomes fomentarius was tested against five gram positive and four gram negative bacterial strains. MICs were in the range 125–250 μg/ml.
• The best anti-H. pylori activity (10 clinical isolates) had polar methanol and aqueous extracts (MIC 8–32 μg/ml).
• F. fometarius extracts exhibited significant cytotoxic activity with the IC50 between 8.31 ± 1.18 μg/ml and 184.56 ± 1.44 μg/ml. Aqueous extract was the most active, and had no effect on normal MRC5 cells.

The antibacterial activity of cyclohexane, dichlormethane, methanol and aqueous extracts of tinder fungus Fomes fomentarius (L.) Fr (Polyporaceae) was tested against 9 bacterial strains (Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Micrococcus luteus, Bacillus subtilis, Enterococcus feacalis, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella abony), as well as against 10 different clinical isolates and one reference strain of Helicobacter pylori. Minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of all extracts against 9 bacterial strains were in the range of 125–250 μg/ml. Methanol and aqueous extracts showed significant activity against H. pylori with MIC values between 4–32 μg/ml. Also, cytotoxicity of tested extracts was significant. Aqueous extract was the most active one against HeLa cells with an IC50 8.31 ± 1.18 μg/ml and N87 cells with IC50 64.46 ± 3.13 μg/ml without any activity against normal MRC5 cell line (> 200 μg/ml).