Harnessing Endophytic Fungi from Terminalia chebula: A Dual Approach to Antimicrobial and Phytochemical Exploration

Abstract

Endophytic fungi isolated from Terminalia chebula exhibit potent antimicrobial activity, showcasing their potential to develop novel therapeutic agents. Additionally, these fungi produce diverse phytochemicals, which may contribute to their medicinal properties and offer new avenues for natural product research. This research study investigated the endophytic fungi isolated from T. chebula and assessed their antimicrobial and phytochemical potential. A total of 28 endophytic fungal species were isolated from leaf and bark tissues. Antimicrobial assays revealed significant inhibitory effects against pathogenic fungi Candida albicans - MTCC 183 & Saccharomyces cerevisiae - MTCC 174 and bacteria Escherichia coli - MTCC 2939, & Bacillus subtilis - MTCC 1305, with endophytic Alternaria sp. exhibiting maximum inhibition zone for antifungal activity and endophytic Aspergillus flavus demonstrating potent activity for their antibacterial analysis. A wide array of phytochemical compounds like alkaloids, flavonoids, phenols, steroids, terpenoids, tannin, saponin, etc, were observed whereas, phytochemical screening indicated the presence of alkaloids and flavonoids in all selected endophytes. These findings suggest that T. chebula harbors a rich endophytic community with the potential for producing novel antimicrobial compounds.