Sorocea bompladii: plant model for the isolation of endophytes, aiming at the rational exploitation of their molecular diversity

Abstract

In this research project, the chemical profile of the ethanolic extract of young leaves from Sorocea bompladii (Moraceae) will be analyzed using high performance separation techniques (HPLC) associated with mass spectrometry (MS) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), allowing the detection and structural elucidation of secondary metabolites. In this context, given the great potential of microorganisms associated with medicinal plants, the major endophytes of these plant species will be isolated, and subjected to different culture media (CZAPEK, malt and PDB) aiming the production of secondary metabolites. The biologically active extracts will be selected applying metabolomics and chemometric approaches, guiding chromatographic fractionation actions to purify bioactive compounds. Finally, the biotransformation capacity of some of those endophytic fungi will be investigated, aiming at structural modifications that could potentiate the bioactivity initially observed in the original isolated molecules.