The results reveal that the metabolites produced by endophytic fungi isolated from Euphorbia hirta could be novel natural products that could lead to new drug discovery.

This study illustrates a novel strain (designated as BPU5) of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) isolated from the rumen of Malabari goat, capable of producing polymorphic δ‐endotoxin crystals concomitantly with sporulation in Luria–Bertani medium (LB), and the δ‐endotoxin was efficient to combat Tetranychus macfarlanei, a devastating mite. Polymorphic δ‐endotoxin crystals produced were assessed by scanning electron microscopy and monitored its production concomitantly with sporulation in LB with or without sugar supplements. Toxicity of the δ‐endotoxin was assessed on T. macfarlanei using leaf disc bioassay method. Mortality rate was determined by comparing the survival of mites on the diet (prepared in 10% sucrose and powdered rice husk) containing different concentrations (1–10 mg/ml) of 72‐h‐old crude pellet (dried mixture of δ‐endotoxin (17 mg/g pellet), endospores and a few vegetative cells) or control diet with autoclaved pellet. The maximum production (1.39 mg/ml) of δ‐endotoxin was observed at 72 h in LB. Among the sugars (glucose, sucrose, maltose or lactose) tested as additional carbon source, glucose (8 g/l) enhanced (1.82 mg/ml) the production of δ‐endotoxin by 30%. The lethal concentration (LC50) required to kill 50% mites was estimated as 8.024 mg/ml. The δ‐endotoxin produced by B. thuringiensis BPU5 is shown to efficiently combat T. macfarlanei, a devastating mite infesting agricultural fields.

No abstract

Fungal endophytes are living asymptomatically inside the tissue of higher plants are of rising interest as they are the promising resource of bioactive agents. The current study shows that mycelia sterilia isolated from Boerhaavia diffusa would be a potent phytochemical and antioxidant source. The preliminary phytochemical analysis revealed the presence of different secondary metabolites and all the fungal extracts exhibited antioxidant activity. There was a positive association between the amount of phenol content and the antioxidant content of the fungal extracts. Further research needs to be done on isolating the active compound accountable for this free radical scavenging activity and biophysical evaluation will be carried out in the future.