Abstract

Marine drugs are employed in the management of several disorders where tolerance arises, necessitating the pursuit of novel therapeutics. Marine fungi are also producers of compounds that may serve as novel therapeutic candidates. This study examined total phenol (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), and the antioxidant and antifungal properties of the crude ethyl acetate (EtOAc) extract derived from the Fusarium oxysporum fungus isolated from the sea sponge Petrosia ficiformis in Hatay/Turkiye. The total phenol content of the extract was found to be 85.42±3.93 mg gallic acid (GAE)/g extract and the total flavonoid content was 50.11±8.35 mg rutin/g extract. The antioxidant capacity of the extract was measured at 0.90 mg GAE/g of extract by DPPH• assay. The antifungal activity of the F. oxysporum EtOAc extract was determined against five Candida strains. Although the Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) values obtained against the tested species were not significantly different (7.031-28.125 mg/mL), C. parapsilosis was found to be more susceptible to the crude extract than other tested species, followed by C. glabrata, C. albicans and C. tropicalis. In conclusion, it is believed that the marine fungus F. oxysporum obtained from the sea of Turkiye is a promising pharmaceutical candidate and that its place in the scientific field should be increased with future studies.

Key words: Marine fungi, natural medicine, Candida, phenolic, flavonoid, antifungal, antioxidant