Hongos endófitos: fuente potencial de metabolitos secundarios bioactivos con utilidad en agricultura y medicina

Abstract

Endophytic fungi are microorganisms that live inside plant tissues without causing disease symptoms. In most cases, their relationship with the host plant is considered beneficial because the endophyte is able to produce bioactive metabolites that the host can use as defense mechanisms, and this allows survival of both organisms. Recent studies have demonstrated that the endophytic fungus confers protection to the host plant against attack by pathogens and herbivores. Since they have the ability to benefit the host plant, it is reasonable to think that the diverse bioactive compounds produced by the endophyte might exhibit potential applications in agriculture and medicine, and also serve as a source of inspiration for the discovery of new and more active molecules. In this paper, some aspects regarding endophytic fungi are described: definition, discovery, classification, interactions with their host plants, ecological role, selected examples of bioactive metabolites, host selection strategy, and methodological strategies for their isolation. Finally, we show some recent results of our research, which demonstrate that endophytic fungi are promising sources of new bioactive secondary metabolites.