Antimicrobial natural products: an update on future antibiotic drug candidates

Fungal endophytes as prolific source of phytochemicals and other bioactive natural products: A review.

Endophytic fungi are ubiquitous organisms found in the plants, residing intercellular or intracellular, at least for a portion of their lives without causing apparent symptoms of infection. Almost all plants are known to harbor endophytes. The choice of the plant to be used for exploring endophytes for bioactives is important. Therefore, medicinal plants which are known to be used since centuries as an alternative source of medicine, are a valuable source for bioprospecting endophytes. Nevertheless, due to many reasons there is a dire need for novel resources for novel drugs which can be an answer to many deadly diseases. It is in this context that the present review was envisaged. The review reveals the importance of endophytic fungi from medicinal plants as a source of bioactive and chemically novel compounds. The bioactive metabolites produced by endophytic fungi originate from different biosynthetic pathways and belong to diverse structural groups such as terpenoids, steroids, quinones, phenols, coumarins etc. Endophytes therefore, represent a chemical reservoir for new compounds such as, anticancer, immunomodulatory, antioxidant, antiparasitic, antiviral, antitubercular, insecticidal etc. for use in the pharmaceutical and agrochemical industries. Although, efforts have been made to accommodate as many examples as possible but the depth of the subject is so vast that it cannot be covered in one single review. This in itself speaks of the fact that endophytic fungi from medicinal plants is indeed a treasure worth searching. In the present review only some selected examples have been covered.

Endophytic fungi from medicinal plants: a treasure hunt for bioactive metabolites

This review describes examples of naturally occurring bioactive compounds obtained from fungal endophytes from various host plants The main topics addressed are sources, identification, biological

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/1934578X0900401114

Chemical and functional diversity of natural products from plant associated endophytic fungi.

Azadirachtin A and its structural analogues are a well-known class of natural insecticides having antifeedant and insect growth-regulating properties. These compounds are exclusive to the neem tree, Azadirachta indica A. Juss, from where they are currently sourced. Here we report for the first time, the isolation and characterization of a novel endophytic fungus from A. indica, which produces azadirachtin A and B in rich mycological medium (Sabouraud dextrose broth), under shake-flask fermentation conditions. The fungus was identified as Eupenicillium parvum by ITS analysis (ITS1 and ITS2 regions and the intervening 5.8S rDNA region). Azadirachtin A and B were identified and quantified by LC-HRMS and LC-HRMS2, and by comparison with the authentic reference standards. The biosynthesis of azadirachtin A and B by the cultured endophyte, which is also produced by the host neem plant, provides an exciting platform for further scientific exploration within both the ecological and biochemical contexts.

An endophytic fungus from Azadirachta indica A. Juss. that produces azadirachtin

The endophytic fungus Chloridium sp. produces javanicin under liquid and solid media culture conditions. This highly functionalized naphthaquinone exhibits strong antibacterial activity against Pseudomonas spp., representing pathogens to both humans and plants. The compound was crystallized and the structure was elucidated by X-ray crystallography. The X-ray structure confirms the previously elucidated structure of the compound that was done under standard spectroscopic methods. The importance of javanicin in establishing symbiosis between Chloridium sp. and its host plant, Azadirachta indica, is briefly discussed.

Emil Lobkovosky

Papers

Javanicin, an Antibacterial Naphthaquinone from an Endophytic Fungus of Neem, Chloridium sp.