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Review
. 2016 Sep 29:7:1538.
doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2016.01538. eCollection 2016.

Endophytes: A Treasure House of Bioactive Compounds of Medicinal Importance

Sushanto Gouda  1 , Gitishree Das  2 , Sandeep K Sen  3 , Han-Seung Shin  4 , Jayanta Kumar Patra  2
Affiliations
Review

Endophytes: A Treasure House of Bioactive Compounds of Medicinal Importance

Sushanto Gouda et al. Front Microbiol. .

Abstract

Endophytes are an endosymbiotic group of microorganisms that colonize in plants and microbes that can be readily isolated from any microbial or plant growth medium. They act as reservoirs of novel bioactive secondary metabolites, such as alkaloids, phenolic acids, quinones, steroids, saponins, tannins, and terpenoids that serve as a potential candidate for antimicrobial, anti-insect, anticancer and many more properties. While plant sources are being extensively explored for new chemical entities for therapeutic purposes, endophytic microbes also constitute an important source for drug discovery. This review aims to comprehend the contribution and uses of endophytes as an impending source of drugs against various forms of diseases and other possible medicinal use.

Keywords: bioactive compounds; endophytes; foodborne diseases; secondary metabolites.

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Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
(A) Types of endophytes and the bioactive compound groups associated with them. (B) Selected bioactive compounds with medicinal importance isolated from endophytes.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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