ANNOUNCEMENTS
Endophytic fungi are emerging as a reservoir of bioactive natural compounds which have proven to be useful in various applications including medicine, agriculture, food and cosmetics. It was found that they sometimes produce metabolites similar to their host plants as a result of co-evolution or due to their host selection criteria. Exploring medicinal plants which have proven antimicrobial and antioxidant properties could result in the discovery of endophytic fungi that produce bioactives similar to those produced by the host plants. The endophytic fungi isolated from medicinal plants Bacopa monnieri (Brahmi), Cymbopogon citratus (Lemongrass), Datura metel and Ocimum tenuiflorum (Tulsi) were screened for antibacterial, antifungal and antioxidant activities through disc assay, dual culture assay and TLC-DPPH bio-autography assay, respectively. Methanolic crude extracts from two unidentified endophytic fungi, one isolated from Cymbopogon citratus and the other from Datura metel, were found to exhibit positive results in all of the mentioned antimicrobial and antioxidant assays. The morphology of these two isolates was studied through light and scanning electron microscopy. The hyphae were observed to be septate, featuring globose micro and macroconidia with rough surface. The crude extracts from these two isolates can be further purified and analyzed via chromatographic techniques to identify the chemical identity of the active compounds. If the initial results are favorable, their manufacture might be ramped up for commercial applications.
Keywords – endophytic fungi, bioactives, medicinal plants, antimicrobial, antioxidant.
