Antioxidant and Antimicrobial Activity of Pleurotus Florida Cultivated in Bangladesh

Mushroom, a new food item in Bangladesh, has remained largely obscure about its nutritional and medicinal values. Evaluation of antioxidant and antimicrobial activity of the Pleurotus florida ethanol extract was the purpose of the present study. Crude P. florida extract was qualitatively screened for the presence of phytochemicals while total polyphenol content was measured quantitatively. DPPH-free radical scavenging activity, total reducing power and ability of inhibiting in vitro Fenton’s reagent-induced oxidative stress were used to evaluate the antioxidant potentials of the P. florida extract. Minimum inhibitory concentration and antibiogram of the P. florida extract was assessed against six human pathogenic bacteria. Ethanol extract of P. florida possesses appreciable antioxidant activity, as indicated by the polyphenol contents, DPPH scavenging activity, reducing power and anti-lipid peroxide effect. The extract exhibited antimicrobial activity against all of the microorganisms tested. Keyword: Antioxidant activity, Antimicrobial activity, Phytochemicals, Lipid peroxidation.