Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) continues to threaten the effectiveness of existing therapies, driving the urgent search for novel therapeutic leads from nature. Rubiaceae plant-associated endophytic fungi are increasingly recognized as valuable producers of structurally diverse secondary metabolites with antibacterial, antifungal, and antimycobacterial activities. Unlike previous reviews that primarily focus on bioactive compounds, this narrative-critical review integrates ecological factors influencing endophytic diversity with advanced strategies to awaken cryptic biosynthetic pathways. We systematically evaluate approaches including One Strain-Many Compounds (OSMAC), co-culture, chemical and epigenetic elicitation, genome-guided discovery, and heterologous expression. Furthermore, this review critically analyzes pharmacological metrics, specifically minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), cytotoxicity, Selectivity Index (SI), mechanisms of action, and the potential of fungal metabolites as antibiotic adjuvants. Current evidence suggests that the clinical development of these natural products is constrained by methodological inconsistencies, a lack of animal model testing, insufficient pharmacokinetic profiling, and large-scale manufacturing hurdles. Future progress in drug discovery will heavily depend on adopting standardized evaluation criteria and comprehensive pharmacological screening to successfully transform these endophytic metabolites into viable clinical candidates.
Inherni Marti Abna, M. S. Wibowo, I. Fidrianny et al.· Sains Malaysiana· 0 citations
The rising incidence of antibiotic resistance in pathogenic bacteria necessitates the exploration of endophytic fungi as alternative sources of novel antimicrobial compounds. This study aimed to isolate, characterize, and evaluate the antimicrobial potential of endophytic fungi derived from the leaves and stems of breadfruit (Artocarpus communis Forst) against Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, and Candida albicans. Isolation was conducted using surface sterilization and direct plating methods on Potato Dextrose Agar (PDA). Fungal isolates were characterized macroscopically and microscopically. Antimicrobial potential was assessed in two stages: preliminary screening using the dual culture antagonism method, followed by confirmation testing of secondary metabolites produced via liquid fermentation in Potato Dextrose Broth (PDB) using the agar well diffusion method. Eight pure isolates were successfully obtained: three from leaves and five from stems. Preliminary screening indicated that stem-derived isolates exhibited superior antimicrobial activity compared to leaf-derived isolates. Secondary metabolite screening revealed that isolate B1a-Ir effectively inhibited S. aureus with an inhibition zone of 9.19±0.17 mm, surpassing the positive control (chloramphenicol). Furthermore, isolates B2a-Ir and B3b-Ir exhibited strong antifungal activity against C. albicans with inhibition zones of 13.09±0.49 mm and 13.93±0.17 mm, respectively, surpassing the positive control (ketoconazole). This study highlights that endophytic fungi from breadfruit stems are promising sources of bioactive compounds for future antimicrobial therapy development, particularly against S. aureus and C. albicans.
Inherni Marti Abna, I. Nurjanah, Tyas Putri Utami· JURNAL ILMU KEFARMASIAN INDO...· 0 citations
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