Indiscriminate and irrational use of antibiotics has created an unprecedented challenge for human civilization due to microbe’s development of antimicrobial resistance. It is difficult to treat bacterial infection due to bacteria’s ability to develop resistance against antimicrobial agents. Antimicrobial agents are categorized according to their mechanism of action, i.e., interference with cell wall synthesis, DNA and RNA synthesis, lysis of the bacterial membrane, inhibition of protein synthesis, inhibition of metabolic pathways, etc. Bacteria may become resistant by antibiotic inactivation, target modification, efflux pump and plasmidic efflux. Currently, the clinically available treatment is not effective against the antibiotic resistance developed by some bacterial species. However, plant-based antimicrobials have immense potential to combat bacterial, fungal, protozoal and viral diseases without any known side effects. Such plant metabolites include quinines, alkaloids, lectins, polypeptides, flavones, flavonoids, flavonols, coumarin, terpenoids, essential oils and tannins. The present review focuses on antibiotic resistance, the resistance mechanism in bacteria against antibiotics and the role of plant-active secondary metabolites against microorganisms, which might be useful as an alternative and effective strategy to break the resistance among microbes.

The integration of nanotechnology and green synthesis strategies provides innovative solutions in biomedicine. This study focuses on the biofabrication of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) using Corynespora smithii, an endophytic fungus isolated from Bergenia ciliata. The eco-friendly synthesis process employed fungal extracts as reducing and stabilizing agents thereby minimizing the need for hazardous chemicals. The AgNPs demonstrated strong potent biological activities, showcasing significant antioxidant, antibacterial, and anticancer properties. The antibacterial efficacy was demonstrated against various Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, while cytotoxicity on the A549 lung cancer cell line revealed an IC₅₀ value of 10.46 µg/mL. A molecular docking analysis revealed interactions between the major bioactive compound, dimethylsulfoxonium formylmethylide, and the pathogenic proteins, Staphylococcus aureus and Salmonella typhi, displaying moderate binding affinities. Furthermore, the ADME analysis of dimethylsulfoxonium formylmethylide indicated favourable pharmacokinetic properties, including high gastrointestinal absorption, minimal lipophilicity, and low potential for drug–drug interactions, making it a promising candidate for oral drug formulations. These findings further support the compound’s suitability for biomedical applications. This research emphasizes the potential of C. smithii as a sustainable source for synthesizing bioactive nanoparticles, paving the way for their application in developing novel therapeutic agents. This study highlights the significance of harnessing endophytic fungi from medicinal plants for sustainable nanotechnology advancements.

The slow germination and seedling growth of Cinnamomum tamala under natural conditions are one of the problems associated with the mass production of seedlings in nurseries. The present study was designed to investigate the plant growth-promoting rhizobacterial (PGPR) activities of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Bacillus cereus alone and in combination on C. tamala seed germination and early seedling growth. All treatments on seeds with the test bacterial culture showed a significant increase in germination percentage. However, the maximum germination was reported in autoclaved soil with Ps. aeruginosa (ASP), followed by garden soil with Ps. aeruginosa (GS+P), and autoclaved soil with B. cereus (AS+P). The mean germination time (MGT) of autoclaved soil (AS) had the highest MGT. However, the lowest MGT was reported in Garden Soil with Forest litter (GS+FL) (24.3 ± 3.65), followed by garden soil with B. cereus and Ps. aeruginosa (GS+B+P) (26.5 ± 4.33). These results suggest that Ps. aeruginosa can be considered an effective bioinoculant to promote C. tamala seed germination as compared to B. cereus, whereas, for growth, the inoculation of seedlings with the tested bacterial strains resulted in significant enhancement in growth and biomass accumulation. The combination of both strains reduced the generation time but showed a lower germination percentage compared to individual treatments. The use of Ps. aeruginosa isolate showed superior activity in terms of germination percentage and other growth parameters, it can be utilized for the treatment of C. tamala for enhancing germination as well as for the growth of seedlings.

Fungal endophytes are reservoirs of bioactive molecules imparting therapeutic potential to the indigenous medicinal plants. Since new strains of microbial pathogens are evolving with their ability towards drug resistance, herbal phytometabolites are new lead for exploiting their potential in the field of medicine. Ethnobotanical literatures and scientific potential of medicinal plants in traditional medicine has always developed interest for the quest of new bioactive compounds produced by endophytic bacteria and fungi. The endophytic association of medicinal plant imparts therapeutic attributes to the plant metabolites. Endophytes include bacteria, virus and fungi but as per literature fungal endophytes are more promising for exploring the potential compounds, they synthesize in host plants. The occurrence of endophytic association is found in almost all plant species and their roles are well established. This association are present in root, stem and leaves these microbial endophytes enhance growth, yield, stress tolerance, control plant pathogens and manage diseases naturally. In present review, the potential benefits of endophytes such as anti- inflammatory, antimicrobial, anticancer, antidepressants, immunosuppressant, etc. are discussed.