Abstract
In the aim of implementing new technologies, sustainable solutions and disruptive innovation to sustain biodiversity and reduce environmental pollution, there is a growing interest by researchers all over the world in bioprospecting endophytic microbial communities as an alternative source of bioactive compounds to be used for industrial applications. Medicinal plants represent a considerable source of endophytic fungi of outstanding importance, which highlights the opportunity of identifying and screening endophytes associated with this unique group of plants, widespread in diverse locations and biotopes, in view of assessing their biotechnological potential. As the first contribution of a series of papers dedicated to the Lamiaceae, this article reviews the occurrence and properties of endophytic fungi associated with sages (Salvia spp.).
Highlights
Endophytic fungi are defined as fungi inhabiting tissues and organs of healthy plants during certain stages of their life cycle without causing apparent symptoms
Within the subfamily Nepetoideae, sage species are ascribed to the genus Salvia, a name deriving from the Latin word “salvere”, which refers to the curative properties of these plants
Medicinal properties of sages derive from their ability to produce a multitude of bioactive secondary metabolites, many of which have been reported for antibiotic, antitumor, antiviral, antiprotozoal, insecticidal and antioxidant effects, or even to be responsible for allelopathic interactions with other plants [6]
Summary
Endophytic fungi are defined as fungi inhabiting tissues and organs of healthy plants during certain stages of their life cycle without causing apparent symptoms. Increasing attention by the scientific community is boosted by the opportunity to exploit the unique aptitudes and properties of these microbial associates of plants [1]. As a consequence of the long-term association of endophytes with medicinal plants, based on mutually beneficial relationships, the former may participate in metabolic paths and boost their own natural biosynthetic activity, or may gain some genetic information to synthesize biologically active compounds closely related to those directly produced by the host plant [2,3]. This review is devoted to an analysis of the biochemical potential of endophytic fungi reported from species of sage (Salvia spp.), examining the advances in this particular field made by the scientific community in recent years.
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