Journal of Fungi Review Patents on Endophytic Fungi Related to Secondary Metabolites and Biotransformation Applications Daniel Torres-Mendoza 1,2 , Humberto E. Ortega 1,3 and Luis Cubilla-Rios 1,* 1 Laboratory of Tropical Bioorganic Chemistry, Faculty of Natural, Exact Sciences and Technology, University of Panama, Panama 0824, Panama;
[email protected] (D.T.-M.);
[email protected] (H.E.O.) 2 Vicerrectoría de Investigación y Postgrado, University of Panama, Panama 0824, Panama 3 Department of Organic Chemistry, Faculty of Natural, Exact Sciences and Technology, University of Panama, Panama 0824, Panama * Correspondence:
[email protected]; Tel.: +507-6676-5824 Received: 31 March 2020; Accepted: 29 April 2020; Published: 1 May 2020 Abstract: Endophytic fungi are an important group of microorganisms and one of the least studied. They enhance their host’s resistance against abiotic stress, disease, insects, pathogens and mammalian herbivores by producing secondary metabolites with a wide spectrum of biological activity. Therefore, they could be an alternative source of secondary metabolites for applications in medicine, pharmacy and agriculture. In this review, we analyzed patents related to the production of secondary metabolites and biotransformation processes through endophytic fungi and their fields of application. Weexamined 245 patents (224 related to secondary metabolite production and 21 for biotransformation). The most patented fungi in the development of these applications belong to the Aspergillus, Fusarium, Trichoderma, Penicillium, and Phomopsis genera and cover uses in the biomedicine, agriculture, food, and biotechnology industries. Keywords: endophytic fungi; patents; secondary metabolites; biotransformation; biological activity 1. Introduction The term endophyte refers to any organism (bacteria or fungi) that lives in the internal tissues of a host.