Antifungal agents from heartwood extract of Taiwania cryptomerioides against brown root rot fungus Phellinus noxius

Taiwania (Taiwania cryptomerioides Hayata) is a native and plantation species in Taiwan, and its heartwood has demonstrated excellent decay resistance. Brown root rot fungus Phellinus noxius has caused severe damage to more than 100 tree species in Taiwan. The aims of this study were to investigate the antifungal activities of Taiwania heartwood extracts against P. noxius and to identify the antifungal compounds. Antifungal activities were examined using the agar dilution method (a direct contact assay) and the inverted lid method (a vapor contact assay). Active compounds were purified using liquid–liquid partition, open-column chromatography and HPLC. Among four soluble fractions (n-hexane, ethyl acetate, n-butanol and water soluble fractions), results showed that n-hexane soluble fraction (HSF) can significantly inhibit the growth of P. noxius via the agar dilution method. Moreover, active compounds present in HSF were obtained using antifungal assay-guided fractionation. Results showed that ferruginol, T-cadinol, α-cadinol and T-muurolol were found to exhibit excellent antifungal activities against P. noxius, and their IC₅₀ values were 16.9, 25.8, 33.8 and 50.6 μg/mL, respectively. According to the current findings, phytochemicals (ferruginol, T-cadinol, α-cadinol and T-muurolol) of Taiwania heartwood had the potential to be used as environmentally benign antifungal agents against P. noxius in place of synthetic or inorganic fungicides.