Exploring the ethnomycological potential of Lentinus squarrosulus Mont. through GC–MS and chemoinformatics tools

Deciphering the ethnopharmacological importance is one of the prime steps towards understanding the indigenous traditional medicines practised over the centuries. With the advent of modern techniques, it is possible to unravel and explore the hidden ethnopharmacological benefits, comprising complex bioactive compounds of substantial health benefits and together it helps to treat the complex diseases without any side effects as seen in the case of modern synthetic drugs. In this concern, the present study aims to identify the ethnomycologically significant mycocompounds derived from the fruiting body of wild edible macrofungi, Lentinus squarrosulus that contain a vast array of compounds with notable edibility and a wide spectrum of medicinal applications. Proper authentication of mushroom taxonomy was exclusively done using macro and microscopic observations combining ITS DNA-based methods. Further, the isolate was subjected to fractionation in different solvent systems for mycochemical examination followed by GC–MS analysis. A total of 38 mycocompounds were identified through GC–MS and further subjected to in silico studies for drug-likeness, bioactivity and ADMET predictions to explore the druggability of mycocompounds. In silico analysis revealed 10 mycocompounds having good drug-likeness and ADMET properties. Altogether, the present study explored the ethnomycological potential of L. squarrosulus and identified potential mycocompounds.