Endophytism of Fusarium Solani in Meristems of Delonix Regia (Bojer ex Hook.) Raf.

A bright yellow pigment-producing endophytic fungus strain GMRS1 was isolated from the meristems of Delonix regia (Bojer ex Hook.) Raf. The fungus was identified as Fusarium solani on grounds of morphological and molecular analysis. The chemical composition of the crude pigments was partially analyzed by Quadrupole Time-of-flight Liquid chromatography/Mass spectrometry/Mass spectrometry and the major compounds were reported. The crude pigments were proved toxic and unsafe by acute oral toxicity study on Wistar rats. The total cholesterol and glucose levels of the rats ingested with crude pigments were significantly elevated than the control rats. The treatment rats were further observed with damaged liver and kidney tissues. The LD50 value of the crude pigments was higher than 1000 mg/kg of body weight. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12088-021-00968-w. © Association of Microbiologists of India 2021.