Endophytic Fungi: A Source of Potential Antifungal Compounds

Area of Science:

• Microbiology and Medicinal Chemistry
• Natural Products Research

Background:

• Rising incidence of emergent and reemergent fungal infections in immunocompromised patients (bone marrow transplant, cancer therapy, organ transplant recipients).
• Limited efficacy and increasing drug resistance associated with current antifungal therapies.
• Unmet need for novel antifungal agents with improved efficacy and compatibility.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review antifungal compounds, including volatile organic compounds (VOCs), isolated from fungal endophytes of medicinal plants.
• To cover methods for activating silent biosynthetic genes in endophytes.
• To highlight the potential of endophytes as a source for novel antifungal drug discovery.

Main Methods:

• Literature review of studies published between 2013 and 2018 focusing on antifungal compounds from fungal endophytes.
• Inclusion of methods related to the activation of silent biosynthetic gene clusters.
• Analysis of the chemical diversity and configurations of isolated antifungal compounds.

Main Results:

• Identification of diverse antifungal compounds, including volatile organic compounds, derived from fungal endophytes of medicinal plants.
• Documentation of various strategies for enhancing the production of bioactive metabolites from endophytes.
• Characterization of compounds with potential for direct use or as precursors for new antifungal agents.

Conclusions:

• Fungal endophytes represent a largely untapped reservoir of novel bioactive molecules with significant antifungal potential.
• The reviewed compounds and activation methods offer promising avenues for developing new antifungal therapies.
• Further research into endophyte-derived metabolites is crucial for addressing the challenge of antifungal resistance.