Endophytic bacteria as a source of bioactive compounds

Abstract

The interactions between plants and microbes produce various kinds of secondary metabolites. The specific genes of bacterial cells living inside plant tissues as endophytes attribute to the production and transformation of small molecules into bioactive compounds. Researches on antibiotics and microbial natural products explain the potential of the fight against the increasing issue of antibiotic resistance. Therefore, it is required to explore new bioactive compounds to tackle such problems. The use of the medicinal plant as traditional medicine is as old as mankind and believed that all types of plant species have endophytic bacteria (EB). The natural compounds produced by EB have multiple potential applications in the medical field. The EB produce several natural products like Ecomycins, Munumbicins, and Xiamycins are antibacterial, antimycotic, and antiplasmodial. Some of these natural products possess antiviral properties (Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)) properties. This book chapter deals with the significance of the natural product of EB in disease treatments. © 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.