Fungal Endophytes: A Storehouse of Bioactive Compounds

Abstract

Fungal endophytes are the microbial adaptations that usually enter the plant tissues during their life cycle without harming the host plants. They are found everywhere on earth and generally depend on the hosts by developing various symbiotic relationships, like mutualism, hostility, and parasitism on rare occasions, leading to the growth and rise in the nutrient content of the hosts. Endophytes can develop tolerance in host organisms against the stresses induced by either living or non-living agents. They may protect them from insects or pests by building resistance. Interestingly, endophytes can synthesize many phytohormones, natural medicinal compounds and several essential enzymes beneficial for biotechnological perspectives that can be obtained by culturing plant tissue in a suitable medium. These endophytes are a reservoir of many new active phytoconstituents, like alkaloids, phenolics, steroids, quinones, tannins, saponins, etc., which exhibit anticancer, antiinsecticidal, antioxidant, antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal, and many more properties. Exploring the new bioactive chemical entities from the endophytes may supply potent lead compounds for drug discovery to combat numerous disease conditions. Hence, the present review was carried out to explore the significance of the fungal endophytes and their medicinal, food, and cosmetic use.

Keywords: Endophytes; bioactive compounds; drug discovery; fungal endophytes; phytohormones; secondary metabolites.