Chaetomium endophytes: a repository of pharmacologically active metabolites

• DOI: 10.1007/s11738-016-2138-2
• Publication Date: 2016-05-07T15:09:04Z
• Authors: Nighat Fatima; Syed Aun Muhammad; Ibrar Khan; Muneer Ahmed Qazi; Irum Shahzadi; Amara Mumtaz; Muhammad Ali Hashmi; Abida Kalsoom Khan; Tariq Ismail
• Keywords: Chaetomium; Anthraquinones; Secondary metabolite

Fungal endophytes are group of fungi that grow within the plant tissues without causing immediate signs of disease and are abundant and diverse producers of bioactive secondary metabolites. The Chaetomium genus of kingdom fungi is considered to be a rich source of unique bioactive metabolites. These metabolites belong to chemically diverse classes, i.e., chaetoglobosins, xanthones, anthraquinones, chromones, depsidones, terpenoids and steroids. Cheatomium through production of diverse metabolites can be considered as a potential source of antitumor, cytotoxic, antimalarial, antibiotic and enzyme inhibitory lead molecules for drug discovery. This review covers isolation of Cheatomium endophytes, extraction and isolation of metabolites and their biological activities.