Mangrove-Associated Fungi: A Novel Source of Potential Anticancer Compounds

Abstract

Cancer is the second leading cause of death worldwide, and the number of cases is increasing alarmingly every year. Current research focuses on the development of novel chemotherapeutic drugs derived from natural as well as synthetic sources. The abundance and diversity in natural resources offer tremendous potential for the discovery of novel molecules with unique mechanisms for cancer therapy. Mangrove-derived fungi are rich source of novel metabolites, comprising novel structure classes with diverse biological activities. Across the globe, coastal areas are primarily dominated by mangrove forests, which offer an intensely complex environment and species that mostly remain unexplored. In recent years, many structurally diverse compounds with unique skeletons have been identified from mangrove fungi and evaluated for their antiproliferative properties. These compounds may serve as lead molecules for the development of new anticancer drugs. Mangrove endophytes can be modulated using epigenetic means or culture optimization methods to improve the yield or to produce various similar analogs. The present review provides an insight into the bioactive metabolites from mangrove endophytes reported during the period from 2012 to 2018 (up to April, 2018) along with their cytotoxic properties, focusing on their chemical structures and mode of action, as indicated in the literature.

Isolation and morphological characterization of endophytic fungi isolated from mangrove plants along the Kenyan coastline

“…The species in this genus are phytopathogenic, endophytic, and saprobic on different hosts (Hao et al, 2020). Antifungal bioactive compounds have been found in Nigrospora (Rana et al, 2019;Deshmukh and Prakash, 2018).…”

“…This genus has also been isolated from B. gymnorrhiza and A. marina species in South Africa (Osorio et al, 2017). Deshmukh et al (2018) reported the presence of bioactive compounds in Lasiodiplodia with medical importance. From this study, the overall mean colonization frequency in the genus Aspergillus was found to be significantly higher compared to the other genera identified (P<0.05) (Figure 4).…”

“…Endophytic fungi have been reported to be abundant in all tissues such as flowers, fruits, stems, roots, and leaves that are potential sources of natural products (Rana et al, 2019). For instance, nigerasterol A and B compounds obtained from A. niger, an endophytic fungus residing inside the inner tissues of Avicennia marina collected in Hainan Island, China showed cytotoxic activities against the human A549 cell line with IC 50 values of 1.82 μM (Deshmukh and Prakash, 2018). Endophytic fungi isolated from sponges, seaweeds, and plants from the marine environment have also been reported to produce secondary metabolites with therapeutic potential (Kusam et al, 2019).…”

“…Endophytic fungi isolated from sponges, seaweeds, and plants from the marine environment have also been reported to produce secondary metabolites with therapeutic potential (Kusam et al, 2019). Mangrove endophytes have been identified as potential producers of novel molecules with diverse biological activities (Deshmukh and Prakash, 2018). Therefore this study aimed to characterize the endophytic fungi that colonize some selected mangrove species which will consequently enhance the conservation and value of the mangroves.…”

Cytochalasin H isolated from mangrove-derived endophytic fungus inhibits epithelial-mesenchymal transition and cancer stemness via YAP/TAZ signaling pathway in non-small cell lung cancer cells

“…Mangroves grow in the salt-tolerant ecosystems with high biodiversity, and the abundance and diversity of mangrove resources provide the great potential for the discovery of new compounds [22]. In recent years, multiple potential anticancer compounds have been found from mangrove-derived endophytic fungi [22][23][24][25].…”