Treasures in our backyard: unleashing the biotechnological potentials of endophytic fungi from Tanzanian mangroves

Abstract

Endophytic fungi are useful in a variety of biological processes and may find value in pharmaceutical settings. However, there hasn't been much research done on the bioactive compounds produced by mangrove fungal endophytes from the East African coast. Our previous research revealed a significant number of mangrove endophytic fungi in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. This study explores the antimicrobial and cytotoxic properties of these endophytic fungi. Crude extracts of 34 mangrove endophytic fungal isolates were screened, with thirteen showing antimicrobial activity against tested microorganisms. MIC and cytotoxicity tests revealed varying bioactivity. <i>Aspergillus fumigatus</i> (HMD45) was particularly potent against tested organisms (MIC = <0.195 to 0.391 mg/ml) and (LC50 = 36.001). GC-MS evaluation of HMD45 extracts indicated the existence of compounds including dodecanoic acid, n-heptadecanol-1, and n-hexadecanoic acid, which may contribute to its bioactivity. These findings offer insight into the bioactivity of mangrove endophytic fungi and trigger interest for further research.