Assessment of antibacterial and antioxidant potentials of Aspergillus fumigatus crude extract, the isolated endophyte from Centella asiatica (L.) urban supported by molecular docking

The growing burden of infectious and chronic diseases associated with bacterial infections and oxidative stress highlights the need for novel antibacterial and antioxidant agents. Fungal endophytes are promising sources of bioactive metabolites with pharmaceutical potential. This study focused on the isolation, characterization, and biological evaluation of endophytic fungus extract obtained from the leaves of Centella asiatica (L.) Urban. The isolated fungus was identified as Aspergillus fumigatus through ITS-rDNA sequencing and phylogenetic analysis. GC–MS profiling of its ethyl acetate extract (CAL 3) revealed 37 volatile compounds, including Pyrrolo[1,2-a]pyrazine-1,4-dione, hexahydro-3-(2-methylpropyl)-, 9-Octadecenamide, and 1-Nonadecene. The extract showed moderate antibacterial activity at 500 µg/disc, with inhibition zones of 15.75 ± 0.14 and 16.61 ± 0.19 mm against Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Escherichia coli , respectively. MIC values were 5 mg/mL against E. coli and P. aeruginosa and 10 mg/mL against Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus subtilis . The extract exhibited DPPH and ABTS radical-scavenging activities, with IC₅₀ values of 44.56 ± 0.50 and 48.77 ± 0.22 µg/mL, respectively. Molecular docking indicated favorable binding of selected metabolites to DHFR and MPO. These findings support further investigation of C. asiatica -associated endophytic fungi as potential sources of bioactive metabolites for future drug discovery.