The Mycorrhizal Advantage: Boosting Medicinal Plant Bioactivities through Rhizosphere Enrichment

High Resolution Image Download MS PowerPoint Slide The application of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi represents a sustainable biotechnological approach to enhance plant anabolism, particularly the accumulation of bioactive metabolites that modulate the biological activities of plant-derived extracts. Despite the well-documented role of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in promoting secondary metabolite production, a comprehensive evaluation regarding the bioactivity of extracts from mycorrhizal plants remains lacking. This review consolidates 26 studies to identify trends in plant parts utilized, prevalent AMF inoculants, and assessed biological activities, including antifungal, antibacterial, antidiabetic, antiestrogenic, antityrosinase, cytotoxic, genotoxic, and larvicidal properties, as well as Sun Protection Factor enhancement. Considerations concerning the potential of mycorrhizal technology for generating plant raw material with outstanding biological activities, the relevance of establishing partnerships for research on this topic, and future assays to be carried out were addressed.