Abstract

Plant secondary metabolites (PSMs) are vital bioactive compounds with wide pharmaceutical, agricultural, and 
industrial applications. However, their commercial production faces challenges due to low yields, environmental 
variability, and high extraction costs. Endophytes, microorganisms living within plant tissues, have emerged as 
key regulators of plant metabolism, enhancing PSM production through activation of biosynthetic gene clusters, 
secretion of precursor molecules, and modulation of plant stress responses. This narrative review explores recent 
advances in understanding endophyte-plant interactions, focusing on their mechanisms for stimulating metab
olite production. It highlights biotechnological applications, including metabolic engineering, genome editing, 
and co-cultivation strategies, for optimizing endophyte-mediated biosynthesis. The review also identifies chal
lenges in large-scale application and proposes recommendations for integrating endophytes into sustainable 
agriculture and pharmaceutical production. Harnessing endophytes offers an eco-friendly, cost-effective 
approach for scalable natural product biosynthesis, with significant potential for addressing global health, 
agricultural sustainability, and industrial needs