Production of valuable chemical compounds isolated from plants by endophytic fungi

Abstract

Abstract Natural products have always been an integral part of medical therapy. Many drugs have been developed from natural products mostly derived from plants. For example, the most effective anticancer compounds such as anthracyclines, vinblastine, vincristine, paclitaxel and camptothecins are produced by plants. However, productions of these highly valuable compounds have threatened the existence of the plants as it requires a large number of materials from plants. This paper highlights the potential and importance of endophytic fungi as the producers of highly valuable compounds as it needs only a small amount of material from plants. For example, anticancer drugs like paclitaxel, vincristine and vinblastine were more commonly found in endophytic fungi than in plants.