Diversity, Antimicrobial Activity, and Antibiotic Susceptibility Pattern of Endophytic Bacteria Sourced From L.

Endophytic bacteria isolated from medicinal plants are crucial for the production of antimicrobial agents since they are capable of possessing bioactive compounds with diverse structures and activities. , a plant of medicinal importance native to the Jammu region of India, was selected for the isolation and characterization of culturable endophytic bacteria and evaluation of their antimicrobial activities. Standardized surface sterilization methods were employed to isolate thirty-three phenotypically distinguishable endophytic bacteria from the root, stem, and leaf parts of the plant. Shannon Wiener diversity index clearly divulged diverse endophytes in roots (0.85), stem (0.61), and leaf (0.54) tissues. Physio-biochemical features of the isolates differentiated the distinct variations in their carbohydrate utilization profile and NaCl tolerance. The endophytes produced an array of enzymes, namely, catalase, oxidase, amylase, cellulase, nitrate reductase, and lipase. The bacterial isolates belong to the genera , and predominantly. However, the antibiotic susceptibility pattern indicated that the isolates were mostly sensitive to erythromycin and streptomycin, while they were resistant to rifampicin, amoxicillin, and bacitracin. Interestingly, majority of the bacterial endophytes of showed antimicrobial activity against followed by . The 16S rRNA sequence of has been deposited in the NCBI GenBank database under accession number OM320575. The major compounds of the crude extract derived from endophytic OM320575, according to the metabolic profile examination by GC-MS, are dibutyl phthalate, eicosane, tetrapentacontane, heneicosane, and hexadecane, which possessed antibacterial activities. In conclusion, results indicated the potential of to host a plethora of bacterial endophytes that produce therapeutic bioactive metabolites.