Endophytic Fungi as a Source of Antibacterial Compounds—A Focus on Gram-Negative Bacteria

• Published in: Antibiotics (Basel) Vol. 11; no. 11; p. 1509
• Main Authors: Silva, Dayse Pereira Dias, Cardoso, Macley Silva, Macedo, Alexandre José
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basel MDPI AG 29-10-2022; MDPI
• Subjects: Animals; Antibacterial activity; Antibacterial agents; Antibacterial materials; Antibiotics; Antimicrobial agents; Bacteria; Bacterial diseases; Bacterial infections; Care and treatment; Drug resistance; Endophytes; endophytic fungi; FDA approval; Fermentation; Fungi; Gram-negative bacteria; Gram-positive bacteria; Health aspects; Infectious diseases; Medical importance; Metabolites; Methicillin; Microorganisms; Natural products; Optimization; Pathogens; Plant metabolites; Public health; Review; Salmonella; Searching; Secondary metabolites; Staphylococcus infections; Streptococcus infections; Brazil; China; United States > US
• ISSN: 2079-6382; 2079-6382
• DOI: 10.3390/antibiotics11111509

Bacterial resistance has become one of the main motives in the worldwide race for undescribed antibacterial agents. The difficulties in the treatment of bacterial infections are a public health issue that increasingly highlights the need for antimicrobial agents. Endophytic microorganisms are a promising alternative in the search for drugs, due to the vast number of metabolites produced with unique characteristics and bioactive potential. This review highlights the importance of endophytic microorganisms as a source of secondary metabolites in the search for active molecules against bacteria of medical importance, with a special focus on gram-negative species. This fact is supported by the findings raised in this review, which brings an arsenal of 166 molecules with characterized chemical structures and their antibacterial activities. In addition, the low cost, ease of maintenance, and optimization-controlled fermentation conditions favor reproducibility in commercial scale. Given their importance, it is necessary to intensify the search for new molecules from endophytic microorganisms, and to increasingly invest in this very promising font.