Enzymatic activity of endophytic fungi from the medicinal plants Terminalia catappa, Terminalia mantaly and Cananga odorata

Cananga odorata (Annonaceae), Terminalia catappa and Terminalia mantaly (Combretaceae) are medicinal plants used in Cameroon to treat several diseases. In this study endophytic fungi associated with these plants were isolated and identified, and their enzymatic activities were determined. For this purpose, endophytes isolated from samples of leaves, stems, bark, roots, and flowers of each species were classified according to culture morphology and nucleotide sequences of internal transcribed spacer (ITS) regions of ribosomal genes. With this technique, the isolates were classified into 21 genera of ascomycetes. The fungal collection was further characterized on the basis of amylase, cellulose, lipase, and laccase enzymatic activity. Isolates positive for all or some of these activities were detected. The results indicate that these medicinal plants contain a high diversity of endophytic fungi, and could be a repository of valuable bioactive chemicals. In addition, this study showed that these fungi could be useful for the production of enzymes of industrial importance.