Bioactive Metabolites from Endophytic and Marine Fungi
Summary
Endophytic and marine fungi constitute prolific reservoirs of structurally diverse bioactive metabolites with profound implications for human health, agriculture and industry. Endophytic fungi reside asymptomatically within plant tissues and often mirror or exceed the biosynthetic capacity of their hosts, yielding alkaloids, polyketides, terpenoids, peptides and phenolic compounds with antimicrobial, anticancer, antioxidant and immunomodulatory actions. Marine fungi, adapted to extreme habitats of high pressure, salinity and low temperature, synthesise unique halogenated and sulphated derivatives that can inhibit angiogenesis, disrupt microbial biofilms or modulate inflammatory pathways. Advances in genomic, transcriptomic and metabolomic profiling have revealed extensive gene clusters for polyketide synthases and non‐ribosomal peptide synthetases, unveiling cryptic pathways accessible through epigenetic modulation or co‐cultivation strategies. Sustainable cultivation and elicitation techniques now facilitate scalable production of candidate drug leads and agrochemicals, while synthetic biology approaches promise tailored modifications to enhance potency and selectivity. Together, these developments underscore the global significance of fungal metabolites as blueprints for next‐generation therapeutics and biotechnological tools.
Research from Nature Portfolio
No recent Nature Portfolio content available.
Bioactive Metabolites from Endophytic and Marine Fungi publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in bioactive metabolites from endophytic and marine fungi across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Endophyte: A microorganism that lives within plant tissues without causing harm.
Secondary metabolite: A non‐essential compound produced by an organism, often with ecological or pharmacological functions.
Polyketide: A class of natural products assembled by polyketide synthases, noted for antibiotic and anticancer activities.
Terpenoid: A large family of hydrocarbons and oxygenated derivatives derived from isoprene units, many with bioactive properties.
Non‐ribosomal peptide synthetase (NRPS): An enzyme complex that assembles peptides independent of mRNA templates, yielding diverse bioactive peptides.
Anthraquinone: A quinone derivative with a tricyclic aromatic structure, often displaying cytotoxic and antiangiogenic effects.
References
- Danthron, an Anthraquinone Isolated from a Marine Fungus, Is a New Inhibitor of Angiogenesis Exhibiting Interesting Antitumor and Antioxidant Properties. Antioxidants (2023).
- Endophytic Fungi: An Effective Alternative Source of Plant-Derived Bioactive Compounds for Pharmacological Studies. Journal of Fungi (2022).
- Endophytic Fungi: A Source of Potential Antifungal Compounds. Journal of Fungi (2018).
Turn complex research questions into confident strategic decisions
When you're under pressure to set direction, justify investment, or understand your competitive position, you need more than raw data — you need trusted insights you can act on.
Benchmark your performance against global peers using robust, methodologically sound analysis.
Combine quantitative metrics with qualitative expert insight to uncover strengths, gaps and emerging opportunities.
Gain tailored, decision-ready recommendations aligned to your strategic priorities.
Talk to us to learn more about our data dashboards and bespoke strategy reports.
Grow research skills, confidence and careers with training built for every stage of the research lifecycle.
Developed with Nature Portfolio journal Editors and internationally renowned experts. Discover three ways to learn:
Self-paced, online courses in convenient bite-sized units, covering key skills across scientific writing, publishing, grant writing, data analysis, and more.
Expert trainer-led workshops with hands-on exercises and real-time feedback across core research skills, delivered via interactive group sessions.
Editor-led workshops combining core principles in writing and publishing, personalised 1:1 feedback from Nature Portfolio Editors and hands-on exercises.
Explore course catalogues and workshop agendas, enquire about the options or request institutional pricing.