Research article

MANGROVE ENDOPHYTIC FUNGI: A TREASURE OF BIOACTIVE COMPOUNDS AGAINST INFECTIOUS DISEASE

Nidhi S. Trivedi, Jignasha T. Thumar

Online First: December 30, 2022


Mangrove harbours a large number of unique fungal communities known as manglicolous fungi. Fungal endophytes are attracting much attention and increasingly renowned, as their host plants are traditionally used for the medicinal purposes. Endophytic fungi reside within the plant tissues and maintain a strong symbiotic relationship. The relationship between endophytes and their host plants has fascinated many among especially for their ability to produce chemically diverse bioactive natural products. Additionally, they have great values for research and broad prospects for the development of biopharmaceutical and biomedical agents. A mission for discovering novel chemical compounds of pharmaceutical importance has drawn attention towards the mangrove ecosystem, which offers unique biodiversity. The current study attempts to provide a comprehensive account on the mangrove fungal endophytic community residing in a unique habitat and being such a rich source of novel bioactive compounds.

Keywords

Mangrove Ecosystem, Marine Fungi, Secondary metabolites