Evaluation of antimicrobial potential of endophytic fungi associated with healthy plants and characterization of compounds produced by endophytic Cephalosporium and Fusarium solani

The modern medicines have revolutionized drug therapy, but due to emergence of new infectious disease and resistance among infectious agents towards drugs, it is necessary to discover new antimicrobial agents. The fungal derivatives play a key role in human life and their compounds are the main source of drug production. In this study, endophytic fungi isolated from healthy plants have showed strong antibacterial and antifungal activity against common laboratory bacteria and root infecting fungi. They also showed strong nematicidal potential against Meloidogyne javanica, the root knot nematode. GC-MS spectroscopy of oily fractions from mycelium of Fusarium solani and n-hexane fraction of culture filtrate of Cephalosporium revealed the presence of several compounds and some of them are new from this source. The ability of endophytic fungi to produce bioactive compounds with pharmaceutical and agricultural potential may lead in the pursuit of new biological agents for drug discovery and agrochemicals.