Studies on antioxidant, antimicrobial and cytotoxic activity of Phellinus nigricans mushroom extracts

The genus Phellinus s.l. belongs to the family Hymenochaetaceae and includes over 220 described taxa worldwide, including 35 taxa in Europe [ 1 ] [ 2 ]. Some species belonging to this genus have been traditionally used in Chinese medicine and have proven health-promoting effects [ 3 ]. As part of the research project, above 30 species of fungi from the genus Phellinus were studied. Fruit bodies of fungi of the genus Phellinus were collected in the Białowieża Forest, Romnicka Forest, the coastal areas of Poland, as well as from Portugal and Italy. Methanol extraction of dried mushroom fruit bodies was performed. Preliminary screening of antimicrobial activity was performed on selected bacterial strains and antioxidant activity tests were performed using DPPH and ABTS radical tests. Mushroom extracts with the highest antimicrobial and/or antioxidant activity were selected and subjected to further tests. The elemental composition of the extracts was determined, the analysis of active compounds (GCMS), FTIR spectroscopic analysis and thermal decomposition (TG/DTG) were performed. Antimicrobial activity of the extracts on multidrug-resistant bacterial strains was also tested. The paper presents the results of studies on the species Phellinus nigricans. Fruiting bodies living on different hosts were examined (Betula Pendula, Betula Pubescens and Fagus Sylvatica). The content of natural compounds in the extracts and the biological activity of the species were compared depending on the host on which the fungus lived. Cytotoxicity studies were performed on a normal human fibroblast cell line (CRL) and on an immortalized cell line derived from human epidermal cells (HaCaT). Funding The research was carried out as part of research work WZ/WB-IIŚ/2/2023 at the Department of Chemistry, Biology and Biotechnology of the Białystok University of Technology and financed from the 2024 subsidy provided by Minister of Science and Higher Education. Publication History Article published online: 05 March 2026 © 2026. Thieme. All rights reserved. Georg Thieme Verlag KG Oswald-Hesse-Straße 50, 70469 Stuttgart, Germany