This review summarizes new findings concerning the sources and characteristics of various natural products that can be extracted from mangrove-associated microbes over the past three years (January 2011–December 2013).

Mangrove endophytic fungi can produce impressive quantities of metabolites with promising antioxidant activities that may be useful to humans as novel physiological agents. In this study, we investigated the phylogenetic diversity and antioxidant potential of 46 fungal endophytes derived from the mangrove species Rhizophora stylosa and R. mucronata from the South China Sea. The fungal isolates were identified using a combination of morphological characteristics and phylogenetic analysis of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequences. Seventeen genera belonging to 8 taxonomic orders of Ascomycota were discovered, specifically, Botryosphaeriales, Capnodiales, Diaporthales, Eurotiales, Glomerellales, Hypocreales, Pleosporales, and Xylariales. The most abundant fungal orders included Xylariales (35.49%) and Diaporthales (27.61%), which were predominantly represented by the culturable species Pestalotiopsis sp. (34.54%) and Diaporthe sp. (18.62%). The stems showed more frequent colonization and species diversity than the roots, leaves, hypocotyls, and flower tissues of the host plant. The antioxidant activities of all the isolated fungal extracts on four different culture media were assessed using improved 2,2′-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonicacid) (ABTS) methods. A relatively high proportion (84.8%) of the isolates displayed antioxidant capacity (%RSA > 50%). Further research also provided the first evidence that HQD-6 could produce flufuran as a significant radical scavenger with IC₅₀ values of 34.85±1.56 and 9.75±0.58 μg/mL, respectively. Our findings suggest that the utilization of a biotope such as that of the endophytic fungal community thriving on the mangrove plants R. stylosa and R. mucronata may be suitable for use as a sustainable resource for natural antioxidants.

Species within the fungal genus Pestalotiopsis have become a topic of research in many microbial-chemical and pharmacological laboratories because they contain structurally complex, biologically active metabolites. This article is a follow-up to a previous review (Xu, Ebada, and Proksch, Fungal Divers 44:15–31, 2010). It focuses particularly on new findings concerning the chemistry and bioactivity of Pestalotiopsis sp., covering a period ranging from August 2010 to August 2013. Some 160 metabolites were isolated from Pestalotiopsis species during this period and their structures are reported within a biogenetic context. Bioassays showed antitumor, antifungal, and antimicrobial activities to be the most notable bioactivities of secondary metabolites isolated from this genus. The biogenetic pathways associated with the alkaloids, sesquiterpenes, quinines, xanthones, and lactones covered in this review are highlighted.

Ultrasonic-assisted extraction (UAE) was developed to extract phenolic and flavonoid antioxidants from Clerodendrum cyrtophyllum Turcz leaves. The optimal experimental parameters for antioxidant extraction from C. cyrtophyllum leaves were measured using single-factor experimentation combined with response surface methodology (RSM). Total phenolic content (TPC) and total flavonoid content (TFC) assays were used to quantify antioxidant compounds. Next, antioxidant radical scavenging capacity was measured using 2,2′-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2′ -azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonicacid) (ABTS) radicals. Optimized extraction conditions for UAE from C. cyrtophyllum leaves were as follows: 60.9% ethanol, 85.4 min, and 63.3°C for maximal TPC extraction (16.8±0.2 mg GAE/g DW); 67.7% ethanol, 82.9 min, and 63.0°C for maximal TFC extraction (49.3±0.4 mg RT/g DW); 48.8% ethanol, 85.1 min, and 63.9°C for maximal DPPH radical-scavenging capacity (86.8±0.2%); and 50.6% ethanol, 81.3 min, and 63.4°C for maximal ABTS radical-scavenging capacity (92.9±0.5%). Ethanol concentration was the most important factor in the extraction process. Our work offers optimal extraction conditions for C. cyrtophyllum as a potential source of natural antioxidants.

A new isocoumarin derivative pestalotiopisorin B (1), along with six known compounds, (R)-(-)- mellein methyl ether (2), pestalotiopyrone G (3), (R)-mevalonolactone (4), pestalotiollides A–B (5–6) and pestalotiopsol A(7) were isolated from Pestalotiopsis sp., an endophytic fungus obtained from Chinese mangrove plant Rhizophora stylosa. Their structures were elucidated unambiguously by the comprehensive analysis of extensive spectroscopic data. Compound 1 exhibited modest antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa with 12.5 μg/ml, 50 μg/ml, respectively. Compound 4 showed moderate calcineurin inhibitory activity towards p-nitrophenyl phosphate (IC₅₀ =134.29 ± 5.377 μM).

This review summarizes the sources and characteristics of various natural products that can be extracted from mangroveassociated microbes with a focus on bioactivity, highlighting the unique chemical diversity of these metabolic products.