**Beata Zimowska 1, Monika Bielecka 2,\*, Barbara Abramczyk <sup>3</sup> and Rosario Nicoletti 4,5**


Received: 29 October 2020; Accepted: 10 November 2020; Published: 12 November 2020

**Abstract:** In the aim of implementing new technologies, sustainable solutions and disruptive innovation to sustain biodiversity and reduce environmental pollution, there is a growing interest by researchers all over the world in bioprospecting endophytic microbial communities as an alternative source of bioactive compounds to be used for industrial applications. Medicinal plants represent a considerable source of endophytic fungi of outstanding importance, which highlights the opportunity of identifying and screening endophytes associated with this unique group of plants, widespread in diverse locations and biotopes, in view of assessing their biotechnological potential. As the first contribution of a series of papers dedicated to the Lamiaceae, this article reviews the occurrence and properties of endophytic fungi associated with sages (*Salvia* spp.).

**Keywords:** sage; endophytes; bioprospecting; bioactive compounds; medicinal plants; Lamiaceae
