Natural products in drug discovery: meeting the urgency for new antimicrobials for human and veterinary use

Abstract

<abstract> <p>The scenario of growing microbial resistance and of lack of interest of pharmaceutical companies in developing new antimicrobial drugs jeopardizes the present and the future of the treatment of infectious diseases. Different approaches such as antimicrobial peptides and CRISP-R have been explored to manage this situation, however, they have important limitations such as their high cost. Natural products comprise complex molecular structures for which reports of bacterial resistance are rare. They present specific and/or unspecific mechanisms of action that can be explored to provide safe and effective management of infectious diseases. In this review we assessed phytoextracts with evidence of their benefits for treating infectious diseases in humans and animals, towards the use of data for clinical and experimental purposes. Mechanisms of bacterial resistance to antimicrobials are also discussed.</p> </abstract>

Chemical Composition, Antibacterial and Inhibitory Activity of the Efflux Pump of Essential Oils from Croton piauhiensis Müll.

“…Epidemiological studies point to the importance of further research to discover new drugs or compounds with therapeutic properties [1] since bacterial resistance to clinically used antibiotics and their spread throughout the world has become a global issue of public health concern [2][3][4][5]. Thus, the search for efficient natural compounds with antimicrobial activity and low toxicity has increased; therefore, plant secondary metabolites have become a promising alternative to combat microbial infections [6][7][8][9].…”

El espectro invisible: una fuente de luz en la investigación científica de productos naturales

“…Por ejemplo, recientemente se han aislado compuestos, como la curcumina a partir de la planta herbácea Curcuma longa, la azadiractina obtenida del árbol nim Azadirachta indica y la peperina extraída de la planta Piper longum. Dichas sustancias han demostrado ser antiinflamatorias, antiparasitarias y antimicrobianas, respectivamente (Dias-Souza et al 2023). Por esta razón, es importante conocer la actividad biológica y los métodos para revelar la identidad de esas sustancias.…”