The seminal discovery of paclitaxel from endophytic fungus Taxomyces andreanae was a milestone in recognizing the immense potential of endophytic fungi as prolific producers of bioactive secondary metabolites of use in medicine, agriculture, and food industries. Following the discovery of paclitaxel, the research community has intensified efforts to harness endophytic fungi as putative producers of lead molecules with anticancer, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antioxidant, cardio-protective, and immunomodulatory properties. Endophytic fungi have been a valuable source of bioactive compounds over the last three decades. Compounds such as taxol, podophyllotoxin, huperzine, camptothecin, and resveratrol have been effectively isolated and characterized after extraction from endophytic fungi. These findings have expanded the applications of endophytic fungi in medicine and related fields. In the present review, we systematically compile and analyze several important compounds derived from endophytic fungi, encompassing the period from 2011 to 2022. Our systematic approach focuses on elucidating the origins of endophytic fungi, exploring the structural diversity and biological activities exhibited by these compounds, and giving special emphasis to the pharmacological activities and mechanism of action of certain compounds. We highlight the tremendous potential of endophytic fungi as alternate sources of bioactive metabolites, with implications for combating major global diseases. This underscores the significant role that fungi can play in the discovery and development of novel therapeutic agents that address the challenges posed by prevalent diseases worldwide.

The development and evolution of viruses that cause disease have presented a formidable challenge to contemporary medicine and the global economy, not to mention a catastrophic risk to human health. Almost all of these viruses are zoonotic, meaning they were first identified in animals and then spread to humans. An emerging virus may cause only a few isolated instances, resulting in a limited outbreak, or it may cause widespread infection and spread to other parts of the world, triggering a full-blown epidemic. These kinds of emerging occurrences have occurred frequently and in many different forms during the past few decades. Monkeypox is a zoonotic disease caused by the monkeypox virus, a member of the orthopox family that also includes variola, cowpox, and vaccinia. Both animals and humans can get infected by this virus. Similar to smallpox this disease shows less severe rashes and lower mortality rate. The outbreak of monkeypox was declared a global public health emergency by the World Health Organization in July 2022. Unknown mutations and variations are linked to the recent epidemic. Presently, FDA approved tecovirimat, cidofovir and brincidofovir are there in market to treat monkeypox virus. But there are some side effects of these drugs as they are synthetic. So, scientists are working on natural remedies that can be used as alternative to these drugs. In the present study virtual screening of phytochemicals (N-(2-Allylcarbamoyl-4-chloro-phenyl)-3,4-dimethoxy-benzamide, 6-Dimethylaminonaphthene-1-sulfonicacid amide, Oleic Acid and dipentyl ester) from Allophylus serratus were employed against core viral cysteine proteases from monkeypox virus was done. The docking study revealed that selected ligands bind with target viral protein with binding affinity in the range of -5.0 to -6.7 kcal/mol. N-(2-Allylcarbamoyl-4-chloro-phenyl)-3,4-dimethoxy-benzamide showed the highest binding affinity of -6.7 kcal/mol which can be investigated in the future to design potential drugs against monkeypox virus. Thus, this study foresees the possibility of bioactive phytochemicals functioning as template molecules for further experimental evaluation of their efficiency against monkeypox virus.

Objective: Obesity is the major cause of deaths worldwide. Inhibition of enzymes involved in breakdown of fats can be a good way for obesity management. Pancreatic lipase (PL) causes 50-70% degradation of ingested fats. The aim of this work is to explore the endophytic fungi from untapped biodiversity of Andaman Islands for PL inhibitors.Methods: In the current report, culture broths of 39 endophytic fungi from different curative plants of coastal regions of India have been tested for their potential PL inhibitory activity. The bioactive compound was thus isolated, purified, and analyzed using gas chromatography.Results: It was found that inhibitory concentration of a compound (Rf=0.64) isolated from crude hexane extract of endophytic fungal isolate from Citrus limon was 15.46 μg/ml. Gas chromatogram of the extract showed the presence of caryophyllene which might be responsible for the particular activity. The bioactive fungus was microscopically identified as Pestalotiopsis species.Conclusion: As caryophyllene is component of many oils and is non-toxic, so it can be potential source of safe and effective anti-obesity drug.

Objective: This communication explores a lead fraction from methanolic extract of novel Stevia species raised under in vitro conditions for its various biological activities. Methods: The dried Stevia leaves were crushed in methanol to get the polar extract. This methanol extract was tested for pancreatic lipase and alpha-amylase inhibitory activity using quantitative plate assays. Antibacterial property of the extract was also evaluated against Staphylococcus epidermidis, Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Further, the antioxidant potential was evaluated using 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl. Results: The methanolic extract inhibited pancreatic lipase with IC50 of 5.74 μg/ml in a similar manner to a well-known anti-obesity drug in the market orlistat. The methanolic extract also showed a better pancreatic α-amylase inhibitory activity (IC50=88 μg/ml) than acarbose. Further, the lead fraction exhibited 88.48% antioxidant activity. It also exhibited broad spectrum antimicrobial activity against the spectrum of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria tested under laboratory conditions with a minimal inhibitory concentration ranging from 1.95 to 31.25 μg/ml. Conclusion: Thus, this study signifies the vast potential of the lead fraction from a novel Stevia species for further development into a herbal formulation for prevention of various infectious and non-infectious diseases.

Fungal endophytes are fungi that inhabit plant tissues without causing disease. They have been a focus in recent years as possible biological parts of biohybrid photovoltaic, and bioelectrochemical systems. This review surveys the biological and chemical characteristics of fungal endophytes that facilitate light-taking, electron-transfer, as well as energy-conversion. It overviews how endophytic fungi and their products have been incorporated into the structure of electrodes and photovoltaic devices, and compares the performance with that of other biohybrid systems, such as algae-, cyanobacteria-, and microbial fuel cell-based systems. The chapter addresses the major processes that are engaged in photosensitization and charge transfer that include pigment-mediated reactions, redox-active products, and enzyme-mediated electron transfer. It also discusses material integration strategies such as conductive polymers, carbon-based materials, and hydrogels. Significant stability, scalability, and environmental stability issues are recognized. Lastly, research opportunities in the future are suggested; including strain screening, genomics- and omics-based engineering, optimization of devices, and life-cycle assessment, contributing to the design of sustainable fungal-based photovoltaic technologies.

Drug resistance in microorganisms is a growing global threat, highlighting the urgent need for novel therapeutic agents. This study evaluates the antibacterial and anti-SARS-CoV potential of fungal endophytes isolated from A. marmelos . Among 16 endophytes screened, the ethyl acetate extract of the #3 AMLBF strain ( Fusarium vanettenii ) exhibited the strongest antibacterial activity against several pathogens. This extract showed minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) ranging from 0.49 to 0.8 µg/ml. GC/MS analysis of the active extract identified 45 compounds. Furthermore, molecular docking against the SARS-CoV-2 spike glycoprotein revealed nine potential ligands, with Anthraergosta-5,7,9,22-tetren-3-ol p -chlorobenzoate showing the most potent binding affinity (− 10.2 kcal/mol), a value exceeding that of the standard chloroquine (− 6.5 kcal/mol). These results indicate that the organic extract from this fungal strain is a promising candidate for the discovery of new antimicrobial agents. Graphical abstract