Endophytic Microorganisms From the Tropics as Biofactories for the Synthesis of Metal-Based Nanoparticles: Healthcare Applications

Abstract

Nanoparticles (NPs) have gained great attention in recent years due to their extensive and innovative applications in the field of medicine. However, conventional physicochemical approaches for the synthesis of NPs may be limited and costly, and the reaction by-products are potentially toxic for human health and the environment. Bio-mediated synthesis of NPs exploiting microorganisms as nanofactories has emerged as an alternative to traditional methods, as it provides economic and environmental benefits. Tropical ecosystems harbor a high diversity of endophytes, which have a diverse array of metabolic pathways that confer habitat adaptation and survival and that can be used to produce novel bioactive compounds with a variety of biological properties. Endophytic bacteria and fungi cultivated under optimum conditions have potential for use in biogenic synthesis of NPs with different characteristics and desired activities for medical applications, such as antimicrobial, antitumoral, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. The bio-mediated synthesis of metal-based NPs can be favored because endophytic microorganisms may tolerate and/or adsorb metals and produce enzymes used as reducing agents. To our knowledge, this is the first review that brings together exclusively current research highlighting on the potential of endophytic bacteria and fungi isolated from native plants or adapted to tropical ecosystems and tropical macroalgae as nanofactories for the synthesis of NPs of silver, gold, copper, iron, zinc and other most studied metals, in addition to showing their potential use in human health.

Towards further understanding the applications of endophytes: enriched source of bioactive compounds and bio factories for nanoparticles

“…Bogas and their team have shown that these endophytes could act as biofactories for nanoparticles. NPs synthesized from such endophytes have immense potential in healthcare applications ( Bogas et al., 2022 ). In addition, Rathore and his colleagues have placed an emphasis on bacterial endophytes, discussing the recent biomedical scope of these organisms, as well as their synthesis, associated challenges, and importance in bio-nanotechnology ( Rathore et al., 2022 ).…”

“… Schematic diagram representing steps involved in the anti-cancer activity of NPs synthesized by endophytes adopted from Bogas et al., ( Bogas et al., 2022 ). …”

Biosynthesis of Nanoparticles Using Endophytes: A Novel Approach for Enhancing Plant Growth and Sustainable Agriculture

“…Fungal and bacterial endophytes have been proposed as biofactories for the production of metal-based NPs with agricultural and therapeutic applications [10,29]. These microbes colonize plant intra-and/or intercellular tissues, forming a symbiotic connection [16,30].…”

“…These processes can occur as either intracellular or extracellular events, and NPs synthesized by microorganisms are thus classed accordingly as either intra-or extracellular NPs [9]. Microorganisms have been used for the biosynthesis of the following NPs: Selenium, silver, tellurium, gold, silica, platinum, titania, uraninite, palladium, and quantum dots (QDs), zirconia, and magnetite nanoparticles [10]. Microorganisms are highly diverse, multiply rapidly, and are adaptable to a variety of environments, making them ideal systems for biological production processes, especially when compared to larger organisms, such as plants [11].…”

Large-scale production of myco-fabricated ZnO/MnO nanocomposite using endophytic Colonstachys rosea with its antimicrobial efficacy against human pathogens

“…All of this variety in generating groups makes bio-fabrication of metal-NPs using endophytes desirable. Because these groups can be used as effective reducing/capping agents in the synthesis of green NPs 20 . Myco-fabricated NPs are produced in a less expensive, safer, and non-toxic manner by employing endophytic fungus cells rather than other endophytes.…”