Background

The pandemic of COVID-19 has stressed the exaggerated demand for innovative treatments, prompting the search for new sources. Plant endophytic fungi produce a diverse array of biologically active compounds, including macrolides and macrolactones with varying activities.

Aim of the Study

In this review we give an updated overview of natural macrolides and macrololactones from plant endophytes addressing original studies published up to June 2023.

Results

Over the preceding ten years, 91 macrolides with 80 novel compounds with cytotoxic, antibacterial, antifungal, and α-glucosidase inhibitory activities. Unfortunately, the number of novel chemicals identified from marine or bacterial endophytes in the same period is substantially lower. Accordingly, further study on plant endophytes, which are critical for drug research and the development of novel medicines, including antitumors, antivirals, antibacterials, and antimalarials, should be conducted. A report of the 13C NMR data of several endophytic macrolides are reported as a supplementary according to ring sizes and based on a united numbering built on literature search.