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REVIEW article

Front. Microbiol.
Sec. Microbe and Virus Interactions with Plants
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2024.1461504

Endophytic Fungi: Nature's Solution for Antimicrobial Resistance and Sustainable Agriculture

Provisionally accepted
Asiya Nazir Asiya Nazir 1*Abdul Rahman Puthuveettil Abdul Rahman Puthuveettil 1Fathima Hussain Fathima Hussain 1Nayla Munawar Nayla Munawar 2Khalid E. Hamed Khalid E. Hamed 3
  • 1 Abu Dhabi University, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
  • 2 United Arab Emirates University, Al-Ain, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
  • 3 College of Agriculture and Food, Qassim University, Buraydah, Saudi Arabia

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    The growing threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has underlined the need for a sustained supply of novel antimicrobial agents. Endophyte microorganism that reside within plant tissues as symbionts have been the source of potential antimicrobial substances.However, many novel and potent antimicrobials are yet to be discovered from these endophytes. The present study investigates the potential of endophytic fungi as a source of novel bioactive chemicals with antibacterial capabilities. These fungi synthesize secondary metabolites such as polyketides and peptides via polyketide synthase (PKS) and nonribosomal peptide synthetase (NRPS) pathways. Notable substances, like prenylated indole alkaloids and fumaric acid, have shown promising antibacterial and antifungal properties against multidrug-resistant infectious agents. This review also emphasizes the symbiotic link between endophytes and their host plants, which is critical for secondary metabolite production. The study focuses on the significance of isolation methods for endophytes and proposes their use in for sustainable agriculture, bioremediation, and medicine. Future research combining endophytic biodiversity analysis with next-generation sequencing (NGS) and nanotechnology could provide novel techniques for combating AMR and contributing to sustainability across multiple industries.

    Keywords: Antibacterial compound, Drug Resistance, endophytic fungi, Gene Activation, Natural product regulation

    Received: 09 Jul 2024; Accepted: 19 Nov 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Nazir, Puthuveettil, Hussain, Munawar and Hamed. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Asiya Nazir, Abu Dhabi University, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.