Cultivable Endophyte Resources in Medicinal Plants and Effects on Hosts

Abstract

With the increasing demand for medicinal plants and the increasing shortage of resources, improving the quality and yield of medicinal plants and making more effective use of medicinal plants has become an urgent problem to be solved. During the growth of medicinal plants, various adversities can lead to nutrient loss and yield decline. Using traditional chemical pesticides to control the stress resistance of plants will cause serious pollution to the environment and even endanger human health. Therefore, it is necessary to find suitable pesticide substitutes from natural ingredients. As an important part of the microecology of medicinal plants, endophytes can promote the growth of medicinal plants, improve the stress tolerance of hosts, and promote the accumulation of active components of hosts. Endophytes have a more positive and direct impact on the host and can metabolize rich medicinal ingredients, so researchers pay attention to them. This paper reviews the research in the past five years, aiming to provide ideas for improving the quality of medicinal plants, developing more microbial resources, exploring more medicinal natural products, and providing help for the development of research on medicinal plants and endophytes.

Community Structure and Diversity of Endophytic Fungi in Cultivated Polygala crotalarioides at Two Different Growth Stages Based on Culture-Independent and Culture-Based Methods

“…For instance, Strobel and Daisy highlighted in their seminal paper the vast potential of endophytes as producers of novel bioactive metabolites that could have applications in medicine, agriculture, and industry [ 44 ]. Additionally, Wang et al demonstrated that endophytic fungi from medicinal plants may produce a plethora of novel compounds with antimicrobial, anticancer, and other health-related benefits [ 45 ]. Therefore, the focused exploration of endophytic fungi within medicinal plants not only helps in conserving these plants by uncovering alternative sources of therapeutic compounds but also propels the discovery of new drugs.…”