Endophytic microbes are microbial groups that exist in the internal tissues of healthy plants during certain or all stages of their life cycle, living symbiotically with the host plant without causing apparent disease symptoms. They are not only key components of plant microecosystems but also important sources of secondary metabolites in medicinal plants. Numerous studies have shown that endophytes can independently synthesize or induce the host plant to produce bioactive compounds (such as alkaloids, flavonoids, terpenes, etc.) that are the same or similar to those of the host. This profoundly reveals their critical role in the formation of unique medicinal components in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and offers a novel microbiological perspective on the quality formation and geoherbalism of medicinal herbs. To systematically integrate the fragmented research in this cutting-edge field and explore the immense potential of endophytic metabolites as quality biomarkers and lead compounds for innovative drugs, we have constructed the Medicinal Plant Endophytic Metabolite Database (MPEM-DB). This database comprehensively catalogs metabolites derived from endophytes of medicinal plants, covering multidimensional information ranging from chemical structures to biological sources. Specifically, it includes: metabolite name, SMILES structure, CAS number, IUPAC name, molecular weight and formula, bioactivity, producing strain name and classification (bacteria/fungi), host plant, and detailed reference links.
