Endophytic Fungi as Potential Producers of Anticancer Compounds

Medicines derived mostly from natural sources have played a major role in cancer chemotherapy for over 50 years. Against numerous ailments, plants have served as a source of bioactive compounds for centuries. However, it is not the plants themselves, but the microorganisms associated with them that offer material and products with high therapeutic potential. Endophytes are organisms that colonize internal plant tissues without causing disease symptoms. They constitute an endosymbiotic group of microorganisms which are the source of innovative natural products for use in modern industry, agriculture and medicine, indicating potential therapeutic properties, including anti-cancer and antimicrobial, as well as anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. Endophytic fungi are a rich source of bioactive metabolites that can be manipulated to obtain to produce desirable the desired new analogs used in chemotherapy, including: taxol, camptothecin, podophyllotoxin, vinblastine, vincristine, cytochalasin and many others. This review gives provides examples of anti-cancer compound production by endophytic fungi published since 2015.