Abstract
Endophytes are microscopic creatures that live inside plants and do not harm them. They have a large genetic and metabolic diversity that has yet to be uncovered, allowing scientists to study them for human benefit. This project's goal was to extract and identify active chemicals from endophytes found in medicinal plants that are effective against Mycobacterium bovis, as well as determine potential biotechnological applications. In this experiment, 23 endophytes from three medicinal plants; Aloe vera, Artemisia afra, and Moringa oleifera, were isolated and evaluated for susceptibility to Mycobacterium bovis. Two isolates, Aloe I4 and Aloe I3-I5, were shown to be susceptible to M. bovis, with evident inhibition zones of 5 mm for Aloe I4 and 2 mm for Aloe I3-I5 at 3 days and no growth at 2 weeks. The isolated endophytes were found to belong to a variety of bacterial genera, including Pseudomonas and Enterobacter, according to the NCBI BLAST search results of the 16s rDNA gene sequences. Biotechnologically relevant molecules were discovered by metabolic profiling, with uses spanning from pharmaceuticals to cosmetics, detergents, chemicals, food, and beverage. Antifungal, anticancer, antibacterial, and antioxidant characteristics were found in the extracted metabolites (ergotamine, Pyrollo, hexadecane, and L-proline). To conclude, medicinal plants (e.g., Aloe barbadensis miiler) contain endophytes that produce active chemicals with potential antibacterial activity against Mycobacterium bovis. This project encourages the use of natural medicines derived from biological sources (medicinal plants) to treat a variety of ailments.
Key words: Medicinal plants, Endophytes, Susceptibility, 16s rDNA, Biotechnology, Mycobacterium bovis.