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Volume 31
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10.3390/molecules31020261
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Review

Advances in Natural Products from Mangrove-Associated Fungi Along the Indian Ocean Coast

by
Parakkrama Wijerathna
1,2,
Xinqi Chen
1,2,
Rongxiang Qiu
1,3,
P.V.J.S. Wijethilake
4,
Yi Chen
1,2,
Nuwan Madushanka
4,
I.J.J.U.N. Perera
1,2,
Jian Cai
1,
Lalith Jayasinghe
5,
Yonghong Liu
1,*,
Vajira P. Bulugahapitiya
6,* and
Xuefeng Zhou
1,2,7,*
1
State Key Laboratory of Tropical Oceanography, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510301, China
2
University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
3
School of Chinese Materia Medica, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou 510006, China
4
Department of Agricultural Biology, Faculty of Agriculture, Eastern University, Sri Lanka, Chenkalady 30350, Sri Lanka
5
National Institute of Fundamental Studies, Hantana Road, Kandy 200000, Sri Lanka
6
Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Ruhuna, Matara 81000, Sri Lanka
7
The China–Sri Lanka Joint Center for Education and Research, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510301, China
*
Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Molecules 2026, 31(2), 261; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules31020261
Submission received: 27 November 2025 / Revised: 6 January 2026 / Accepted: 9 January 2026 / Published: 12 January 2026
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Exploring Microorganisms and Their Bioactive Secondary Metabolites: From Nature to Application)
Versions Notes

Abstract

Mangrove ecosystems along the Indian Ocean coast show great biodiversity, adapting to harsh environmental conditions of high salinity and higher organic matter, and they are a host for a range of microbial communities with special features that produce unique secondary metabolites. Of this, mangrove-associated endophytic fungi, the second largest ecological group of marine fungi, show the greater potential, being a diverse pool for discovering novel bio-actives with pharmacological and biotechnological interest. This review summarizes the research findings on structural diversity and the associated pharmacological activities of secondary metabolites produced by mangrove-associated fungi along the Indian Ocean coast reported over the period of 2002–2025, based on the literature retrieved from Google Scholar. The total of 302 secondary metabolites is presented mainly from classes of polyketides (208), alkaloids (34), and terpenoids (60). Interestingly, 164 compounds were identified, as first reported in those publications. These compounds have been reported to show diverse biological activities, and the most prominent activities are cytotoxic, antibacterial, antifungal, antioxidant, enzyme inhibitory, and anti-inflammatory effects. The structural novelty and pharmacological activities of these metabolites highlight the importance of mangrove fungi as promising sources for new drug discovery and advancing industrial biotechnology. Therefore, this review highlights the insight into the possible application of these chemical compounds in the future drug industry, as well as in biotechnology for advancing human well-being. Furthermore, though significant progress has been made in exploring the fungi community from mangroves of the African and Middle Eastern coasts, the Indian coast mangrove fungi are yet to be explored more for novel discoveries.
Keywords: chemical diversity; Indian Ocean coast; mangrove-associated fungi; bioactive secondary metabolites; drug discovery chemical diversity; Indian Ocean coast; mangrove-associated fungi; bioactive secondary metabolites; drug discovery

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MDPI and ACS Style

Wijerathna, P.; Chen, X.; Qiu, R.; Wijethilake, P.V.J.S.; Chen, Y.; Madushanka, N.; Perera, I.J.J.U.N.; Cai, J.; Jayasinghe, L.; Liu, Y.; et al. Advances in Natural Products from Mangrove-Associated Fungi Along the Indian Ocean Coast. Molecules 2026, 31, 261. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules31020261

AMA Style

Wijerathna P, Chen X, Qiu R, Wijethilake PVJS, Chen Y, Madushanka N, Perera IJJUN, Cai J, Jayasinghe L, Liu Y, et al. Advances in Natural Products from Mangrove-Associated Fungi Along the Indian Ocean Coast. Molecules. 2026; 31(2):261. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules31020261

Chicago/Turabian Style

Wijerathna, Parakkrama, Xinqi Chen, Rongxiang Qiu, P.V.J.S. Wijethilake, Yi Chen, Nuwan Madushanka, I.J.J.U.N. Perera, Jian Cai, Lalith Jayasinghe, Yonghong Liu, and et al. 2026. "Advances in Natural Products from Mangrove-Associated Fungi Along the Indian Ocean Coast" Molecules 31, no. 2: 261. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules31020261

APA Style

Wijerathna, P., Chen, X., Qiu, R., Wijethilake, P. V. J. S., Chen, Y., Madushanka, N., Perera, I. J. J. U. N., Cai, J., Jayasinghe, L., Liu, Y., Bulugahapitiya, V. P., & Zhou, X. (2026). Advances in Natural Products from Mangrove-Associated Fungi Along the Indian Ocean Coast. Molecules, 31(2), 261. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules31020261

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