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

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.     

A potential antioxidant resource: Endophytic fungi from medicinal plants

Medicinal plants and their endophytes are important resources for discovery of natural products. Several previous studies have found a positive correlation between total antioxidant capacity (TAC) and total phenolic content (TPC) of many medicinal plant extracts. However, no information is available on whether such a relationship also exists in their endophytic fungal metabolites. We investigated the relationship between TAC and TPC for 292 morphologically distinct endophytic fungi isolated from 29 traditional Chinese medicinal plants. The antioxidant capacities of the endophytic fungal cultures were significantly correlated with their total phenolic contents, suggesting that phenolics were also the major antioxidant constituents of the endophytes. Some of the endophytes were found to produce metabolites possessing strong antioxidant activities. Several bioactive constituents from the fungal cultures and host plant extracts were identified. This investigation reveals that the metabolites produced by a wide diversity of endophytic fungi in culture can be a potential source of novel natural antioxidants.     

Fungal endophytes and bioprospecting

Horizontally transmitted fungal endophytes are an ecological group of fungi, mostly belonging to the Ascomycota, that reside in the aerial tissues and roots of plants without inducing any visual symptoms of their presence. These fungi appear to have a capacity to produce an array of secondary metabolites exhibiting a variety of biological activity. Although the ability of fungi to produce unique bioactive metabolites is well known, endophytes have not been exploited, perhaps because we are only beginning to understand their distribution and biology. This review emphasizes the need to routinely include endophytic fungi in the screening of organisms for bioactive metabolites and novel drugs; it also underscores the need to use information obtained concerning fungal secondary metabolite production from other groups of fungi for a targeted screening approach.     

植物内生真菌及其活性代谢产物研究进展

植物内生真菌是一大类未被充分研究过的真菌,其物种及代谢产物均具有生物多样性,现今从植物内生真菌中得到的活性物质种类远比从土壤微生物中得到的多。对植物内生真菌的研究具有重要的生态学意义和经济学意义,在各个领域中应用前景广泛。作者主要综述了植物内生真菌及其活性物质研究的最新进展。     

药用植物内生真菌的多样性及生物功能研究进展

药用植物内生真菌资源丰富,其代谢产物常具有抗肿瘤、抗氧化、抑菌等作用,能产生药用植物生长调节物质及与宿主相同或类似的次生代谢产物,从而成为近年来的研究热点。本文对药用植物内生真菌的分离鉴定、多样性、生物活性及生物学功能等方面进行综述,以期为今后筛选及利用有效的药用植物内生真菌奠定基础。     

Secondary metabolism: regulation and role in fungal biology

Filamentous fungi produce a diverse array of secondary metabolites--small molecules that are not necessary for normal growth or development. Secondary metabolites have a tremendous impact on society; some are exploited for their antibiotic and pharmaceutical activities, others are involved in disease interactions with plants or animals. The availability of fungal genome sequences has led to an enhanced effort at identifying biosynthetic genes for these molecules. Genes that regulate production of secondary metabolites have been identified and a link between secondary metabolism, light and sexual/asexual reproduction established. However, the role of secondary metabolites in the fungi that produce them remains a mystery. Many of these fungi live saprophytically in the soil and such molecules may provide protection against other inhabitants in this ecological niche.     

内生真菌及其对宿主植物生态适应性的影响

从植物-真菌的相互作用和植物体内微生态学的角度,综述近年来植物-内生真菌互作关系的研究进展,分析在生物和非生物环境因子胁迫下,植物内生真菌对宿主生态适应能力的影响及其可能的机制,特别强调将植物及其内生微生物作为一个整体研究的重要性,表明植物内生真菌作为一类重要的微生物资源,可以在增强植物的生态适应性,缓解全球气候变化对植物和人类的压力方面发挥其重要的作用,因而具有良好的应用前景。     

海洋真菌生物活性物质研究之管见

海洋真菌是活性海洋天然产物的重要来源,到目前为止,已从海洋真菌的发酵产物中分离鉴定了1,117个新化合物。介绍了海洋真菌次生代谢产物的研究历史、现状、特点、研究方法、存在问题及其在新药研究中的应用前景。     

Induction of apoptosis against cancer cell lines by four ascomycetes (endophytes) from Malaysian rainforest

Endophytic fungi have been shown to be a promising source of biologically active natural products. In the present study, extracts of four endophytic fungi isolated from plants of the National Park, Pahang were evaluated for their cytotoxic activity and the nature of their active compounds determined. Those extracts exhibiting activity with IC(50) values less than 17 μg/ml against HCT116, MCF-7 and K562 cell lines were shown to induce apoptosis in these cell lines. Molecular analysis, based on sequences of the rDNA internal transcribed spacers ITS1 and ITS4, revealed all four endophytic fungi to be ascomycetes: three sordariomycetes and a dothideomycete. Six known compounds, cytochalasin J, dechlorogriseofulvin, demethylharzianic-acid, griseofulvin, harzianic acid and 2-hexylidene-3-methyl-succinic acid were identified from a rapid dereplication technique for fungal metabolites using an in-house UV library. The results from the present study suggest the potential of endophytic fungi as cytotoxic agents, and there is an indication that the isolates contain bioactive compounds that mainly kill cancer cells by apoptosis.     

Bioactive secondary metabolites produced by microorganisms associated with plants

In the past few decades groups of scientists have focused their study on relatively new microorganisms called endophytes. By definition these microorganisms, mostly fungi and bacteria, colonise the intercellular spaces of the plant tissues. The mutual relationship between endophytic microorganisms and their host plants, taxanomy and ecology of endophytes are being studied. Some of these microorganisms produce bioactive secondary metabolites that may be involved in a host-endophyte relationship. Recently, many endophytic bioactive metabolites, known as well as new substances, possesing a wide variety of biological activities as antibiotic, antitumor, antiinflammatory, antioxidant, etc. have been identified. The microorganisms such as endophytes may be very interesting for biotechnological production of bioactive substances as medicinally important agents. Therefore the aim of this review is to briefly characterize endophytes and summarize the structuraly different bioactive secondary metabolites produced by endophytic microorganisms as well as microbial sources of these metabolites and their host plants.     

药用植物内生真菌研究现状及其应用前景

随着对药用植物内生真菌研究的深入,从药用植物内生真菌中寻找新的生物活性成分已成为研究热点。内生真菌对药用植物的生长及活性成分的形成都有影响,内生真菌活性成分已成为发现新颖结构化合物及新药物的潜在资源。简要综述了近年来在内生真菌的分离鉴定、发酵、次生代谢产物、与宿主的关系等方面的研究进展。     

红树林内生真菌研究进展

红树林作为一种特殊的植物群落具有丰富的内生真菌资源,目前已分离鉴定的红树林真菌超过200种,成为海洋真菌的第二大类群,已报道的红树林内生真菌主要类群是链格孢霉(Alternaria)、曲霉(Aspergillus)、芽枝霉(Cladosporium)、炭疽菌(Colletotrichum)、镰孢霉(Fusarium)、拟青霉(Paecilomyces)、拟盘多毛孢(Pestalotiopsis)、青霉(Penicillium)、茎点霉(Phoma)、拟茎点霉(Phomopsis)、叶点霉(Phyllosticta)和木霉(Trichoderma)等.大部分红树林内生真菌具有较宽的宿主范围,极少数只有单一的宿主,不同红树林植物的内生真菌区系及优势种群有很大差异.红树林内生真菌的定殖因宿主植物不同部位、植株的年龄及季节和环境的变化明显不同.红树林内生真菌能产生多种代谢产物,具有抗菌、抗肿瘤等药用价值.红树林植物内生真菌的研究和开发具有重要意义.本文综述了红树林内生真菌的生物多样性及其分布、生物学功能和次生代谢产物等方面的研究进展.     

Piperine production by endophytic fungus Colletotrichum gloeosporioides isolated from Piper nigrum

Many endophytic fungi have been reported with the biosynthetic potential to produce same or similar metabolites present in host plants. The adaptations that might have acquired by these fungi as a result of the long-term association with their host plants can be the possible basis of their biosynthetic potential. The bioactive compounds originated from endophytes are currently explored for their potential applications in pharmaceutical, agriculture and food industries. Piper nigrum, a plant of the Piperaceae is very remarkable because of the presence of the alkaloid piperine. Piperine has been reported to have broad bioactive properties ranging from antimicrobial, antidepressant, anti-inflammatory, antioxidative to anticancer activities. Interestingly, piperine also plays a vital role in increasing the bioavailability of many drugs which again is a promising property. The current study was carried out to identify piperine producing endophytic fungus from Piper nigrum L. By screening various endophytic fungi, the isolate which was identified as member of Colletotrichum gloeosporioides was found to have the ability to form piperine and was confirmed by HPLC and LCMS. Considering the broad bioactive potential of piperine, the piperine producing fungi identified in the study can expect to have much industrial potential.     

分室培养装置在丛枝菌根真菌研究中的应用及其发展

重点围绕玻璃珠分室培养系统、H形分室培养系统、根排斥室培养系统、供体自养植物的双分室体外培养系统、丛枝菌根(AM)真菌与普通植物根器官的双重培养系统、AM真菌与Ri T-DNA转型根的双重单胞无菌培养系统、AM真菌与Ri T-DNA转型根双重培养的改良分室单胞培养系统等7个不同的分室培养装置, 对AM真菌的培养类型及其应用进行了系统的评述。其中, 采用玻璃珠分室培养装置易于将AM真菌与培养基质分开, 能获得大量纯净的AM真菌繁殖体, 用于研究AM真菌对矿质元素和微量元素的吸收, 具有不可替代的作用。H形分室培养系统和根排斥室(RECs)培养系统均能够获得连续的、可切断的共生菌根网络(CMNs), 可用于研究植物-植物、植物-昆虫之间化感作用产生的信息交流。供体自养植物的双分室培养系统有益于研究AM真菌对宿主植物在单作和混作条件下生长效应的影响。AM真菌与植物根器官的双重培养系统为研究AM真菌的侵染过程及生理、生化特性提供了极大的方便, 同时为纯培养研究提供了重要的理论依据。AM真菌与Ri T-DNA转型根的双重单胞无菌培养体系可以获得AM真菌纯净菌体, 是研究AM真菌遗传、生理、生化等特性的理想方法。以AM真菌与Ri T-DNA转型根的双重单胞无菌培养系统为基础, 可以在菌丝生长室置换培养基、在根室中补充适量碳源, 并多次收获AM真菌繁殖体。转型根改良双重培养系统是提高AM真菌孢子接种剂产量的有效方法。综上所述, AM真菌的分室培养系统已经取得显著进展, 为开展个体、种群、群落等不同层次的菌根生态学研究提供了依据。     

Major bioactive metabolites from marine fungi: A Review

Biologists and chemists of the world have been attracted towards marine natural products for the last five decades. Approximately 16,000 marine natural products have been isolated from marine organisms which have been reported in approximately 6,800 publications, proving marine microorganisms to be a invaluable source for the production of novel antibiotic, anti tumor, and anti inflammatory agents. The marine fungi particularly those associated with marine alga, sponge, invertebrates, and sediments appear to be a rich source for secondary metabolites, possessing Antibiotic, antiviral, antifungal and antiyeast activities. Besides, a few growth stimulant properties which may be useful in studies on wound healing, carcinogenic properties, and in the study of cancers are reported. Recent investigations on marine filamentous fungi looking for biologically active secondary metabolites indicate the tremendous potential of them as a source of new medicines. The present study reviews about some important bioactive metabolites reported from marine fungal strains which are anti bacterial, anti tumour and anti inflammatory in action. It highlights the chemistry and biological activity of the major bioactive alkaloids, polyketides, terpenoids, isoprenoid and non-isoprenoid compounds, quinones, isolated from marine fungi.     

丛枝菌根真菌对植物次生代谢的影响

丛枝菌根(AM)是自然界中分布最为广泛、最为重要的一类菌根,许多研究已经观察到丛枝菌根真菌与植物次生代谢的相关性,丛枝菌根真菌能够直接或间接地影响植物的次生代谢过程。植物的次生代谢产物主要分为萜类物质、酚类物质和含氮化合物(主要是生物碱)三大类群,该文简要介绍了丛枝菌根真菌对这3类植物次生代谢产物的影响。丛枝菌根真菌与萜类物质代谢关系的研究比较细致和深入,有些工作已经从细胞及分子水平探讨其间的作用机制,如Blumenin、类胡萝卜素等。丛枝菌根真菌与酚类物质代谢关系的研究也比较深入,其中具有特殊功能的酚类物质——植保素、细胞壁酚酸、类黄酮/异类黄酮等倍受关注。目前有关丛枝菌根真菌与生物碱关系的研究相对较少,不过现有的研究表明,菌根的形成有助于生物碱积累。     

微生物共培养在新活性化合物挖掘中的研究进展

微生物次级代谢产物结构新颖、活性多样,一直以来都是药物及其先导化合物的重要来源。但近年来在普通微生物纯培养中发现的新活性物质不断减少,重复发现逐渐增加;而微生物共培养因更加接近微生物生长的自然环境,在药物及其先导物挖掘方面发挥着越来越重要的作用。本文分析了近5年来利用真菌vs真菌、真菌vs细菌共培养挖掘新活性化合物的研究现状,以及研究中存在的问题。     

Natural product discovery through microbial genome mining

The advent of the genomic era has opened up enormous possibilities for the discovery of new natural products. Also known as specialized metabolites, these compounds produced by bacteria, fungi, and plants have long been sought for their bioactive properties. Innovations in both DNA sequencing technologies and bioinformatics now allow the wealth of sequence data to be mined at both the genome and metagenome levels for new specialized metabolites. However, a key problem that remains is rapidly and efficiently linking these identified genes to their corresponding compounds. Within this review, we provide specific examples of studies that have used the power of genomic or metagenomic data to overcome these problems and identify new small molecules and their biosynthetic pathways.     

The genus <Emphasis Type="Italic">Diaporthe</Emphasis>: a rich source of diverse and bioactive metabolites

The genus Diaporthe (asexual state: Phomopsis) comprises pathogenic, endophytic and saprobic species with both temperate and tropical distributions. Although species of Diaporthe have in the past chiefly been distinguished based on host association, studies have confirmed several taxa to have wide host ranges, suggesting that they move freely between hosts, frequently co-colonizing diseased or dead tissue, while some species are known to be host-specific. They are also very frequently isolated as endophytes of seed plants. Due to their importance as plant pathogens, the genus has been thoroughly investigated for secondary metabolites, including during screening programs aimed at the discovery of novel bioactive natural products, but the respective information has never been compiled. Therefore, we have examined the relevant literature to explore and highlight the major classes of metabolites of Diaporthe and their Phomopsis conidial states. These fungi predominantly produce a large number of polyketides, but cytochalasins and other types of commonly encountered fungal secondary metabolites are also predominant in some species. Interestingly, not a single metabolite which is also known from the host plant has ever been isolated as a major component from an endophytic Diaporthe strain, despite the fact that many of the recent studies were targeting endophytic fungi of medicinal plants.     

Metabolites of endophytic fungi as novel source of biofungicide: a review

Endophytic fungi are known to harbour compound(s) beneficial for plant health as well as human health. Among the metabolites of agrochemical and pharmaceutical importance alkaloids are the major. Apart from alkaloids several terpernoids and steroids, isocoumarins and chromones, phenolics and volatiles have also been reported. Cryptocin and cytochalasins alkaloids were isolated during early phase of innovation and proved to be antifungal. Some of these metabolites produced by endophytic fungi were originally isolated from the host plants.