# Bioactivity Profiling of Daedaleopsis confragosa (Bolton) J. Schröt. 1888: Implications for Its Possible Application in Enhancing Women’s Reproductive Health

## TL;DR

This study explores the bioactivity of a wood-rotting fungus, Daedaleopsis confragosa, and its potential to improve women's reproductive health through antioxidant and enzyme-modulating properties.

## Contribution

The study provides a novel bioactivity profile of D. confragosa, highlighting its potential for therapeutic applications in women's health.

## Key findings

- DC extracts showed higher antioxidant activity due to higher phenolic and flavonoid content.
- DCHD extract exhibited greater hemolytic and cytotoxic effects, along with stronger AChE inhibition.
- The study suggests terpenoids and steroids in DCHD may be responsible for its bioactivity.

## Abstract

This study investigates the bioactivity profile of wood-rotting fungal species Daedaleopsis confragosa (Bolton) J. Schröt. 1888, focusing on its antioxidant, cytotoxic, and genotoxic activities and enzyme modulation properties with respect to its possible application in terms of enhancing women’s reproductive health. Two types of extracts, including those based on EtOH extraction (DC) and hydrodistillation (DCHD), were investigated. The results indicate that the radical scavenging capacity against the DPPH radical and reduction potential were stronger in the DC extracts owing to the higher total phenolic content (TPC) and total flavonoid content (TFC) (25.30 ± 1.05 mg GAE/g d.w. and 2.84 ± 0.85 mg QE/g d.w., respectively). The same trend was observed in the protein phosphatase-1 (PP1) activity and in the genotoxic activity against the δ virus since only the DC extract exhibited DNA disintegration regarding a dilution of 1:100. Conversely, the DCHD extract exhibited increased hemolytic and cytotoxic effects (339.39% and IC50 = 27.76 ± 0.89 μg/mL—72 h incubation, respectively), along with greater inhibition of the AChE enzyme (IC50 = 3.11 ± 0.45 mg/mL) and hemolytic activity. These results suggest that terpenoids and steroids may be responsible for the observed activity in DCHD as these compounds could potentially be extracted following the HD procedure. This comprehensive bioactivity profiling offers valuable insights into the potential therapeutic applications of D. confragosa from Serbia and underscores the importance of further investigations for harnessing its pharmacological potential.