Unexploited Potentials of Endophytic Fungi: Patents Review on Endophytic Fungi Related to Secondary Bioactive Compounds

Endophytic fungi are various micro-organisms that inhabit intracellular or intercellular plant tissues in symbiotic association [at certain stages of their life cycles], without causing damage or morphological changes. The endophytes from medicinal plants are important resources for discovery of natural products and secondary bioactive metabolites having the potential biotechnological applications in agriculture, medicine, and allied sectors. The endophytic fungi such as Acremonium, Aspergillus, Fusarium, Trichoderma, Penicillium, Phomopsis, Pestalotiopsis, Pseudomassari, Quercina, Trichoderma genera have been reported from different medicinal plants with potential therapeutic activity. On the other hand, the endophytic fungi can also confer profound impacts on their host plants like improvement in growth, activation of systemic tolerances towards abiotic/biotic stresses, enhancement of nutrient solublization, biosynthesis of phytohormones and stimulating accumulation of secondary metabolites. Endophytic fungi have attracted much research interest because they have provided not only novel sources of Cytotoxic compounds, Antimicrobial agents, Bio-stimulants for essential oil biosynthesis, Anticancer agents, antioxidant agents, anti-diabetic agents, immunosuppressant and insecticidal compounds. The present review reveals the importance of endophytic fungi from medicinal plants as a source of bioactive compounds as well as landscape of patents related to the production of secondary metabolites through endophytic fungi and their application in pharmaceutical sectors.