SECONDARY METABOLITES OF ACTINOMYCETES AND THEIR BIOTECHNOLOGICAL IMPORTANCE

Abstract

Actinomycetes are Gram-positive, aerobic, spore-forming and filamentous bacteria with a high G+C content in their genomes, belonging to the order Actinomycetales. These filamentous bacteria are the major group of the bacteria population in the soil. Actinomycetes can be isolated from soils, seas, compost, freshwater sources, insects, plant roots or leaves, various nutrients, and the atmosphere. Like many bacterial groups, actinomycetes produce important secondary metabolites and these metabolites play important ecological roles. Secondary metabolites are not essential for reproduction but are synthesized when bacteria are exposed to various stress conditions. Secondary metabolites are generally bioactive substances produced by bacteria to survive in their environment and through resist other microorganisms in their environment. Most of the bioactive secondary metabolites obtained today have been isolated from actinomycetes bacteria. In 1914, first antibacterial substance from actinomycetes called Streptomycin was discovered by Salman Abraham Waksman. With this discovery, studies on the antibacterial effect of secondary metabolites isolated from actinomycetes bacteria have increased. Actinomycetes bacteria's bioactive substances may also have antifungal, antiviral, anticancer, antitumor antioxidant, antiparasitic, antimalarial, antibiofilm, anti-inflammatory, enzyme inhibitor, herbicide or insecticide properties. Actinomycetes are important microorganisms both medically and biotechnologically since they produce secondary metabolites with different effects. Today, new therapeutic agents are needed because bacteria have become resistant to clinically used antibiotics or because of the toxic effects of drugs used against diseases such as cancer. Studies on secondary metabolites produced by actinomycetes have promising features for the discovery of new therapeutic drugs. For this reason, we aimed to compile recent studies on secondary metabolites of actinomycetes bacteria