Plant-Derived Products with Therapeutic Potential against Gastrointestinal Bacteria

Abstract

The rising burden of antimicrobial resistance and increasing infectious disease outbreaks, including the recent COVID-19 pandemic, has led to a growing demand for the development of natural products as a valuable source of leading medicinal compounds. There is a wide variety of active constituents found in plants, making them an excellent source of antimicrobial agents with therapeutic potential as alternatives or potentiators of antibiotics. The structural diversity of phytochemicals enables them to act through a variety of mechanisms, targeting multiple biochemical pathways, in contrast to traditional antimicrobials. Moreover, the bioactivity of the herbal extracts can be explained by various metabolites working in synergism, where hundreds to thousands of metabolites make up the extract. Although a vast amount of literature is available regarding the use of these herbal extracts against bacterial and viral infections, critical assessments of their quality are lacking. This review aims to explore the efficacy and antimicrobial effects of herbal extracts against clinically relevant gastrointestinal infections including pathogenic Escherichia coli, toxigenic Clostridioides difficile, Campylobacter and Salmonella species. The review will discuss research gaps and propose future approaches to the translational development of plant-derived products for drug discovery purposes for the treatment and prevention of gastrointestinal infectious diseases.

Antimicrobial Potential of Herbal Products Against Clostridioides difficile

“…Berberine is an isoquinoline alkaloid present in many species from the genera Berberis, Mahonia and Coptis. In Asia, berberine hydrochloride tablets are sold for the treatment of intestinal infectious diseases and diarrhea [53]. The study [54] found that cell growth from C. difficile spores was completely inhibited at berberine concentrations of 640 mg/L.…”

“…Plants are an inexhaustible source of bioactive substances. As there are approximately 500,000 plant species exist on the planet, of which only 1% has been phytochemically investigated [8]. Among medicines prescribed in the USA, 25% is based on compounds isolated from plants [9].…”

Microbiological justification of the advisability of using essential oils of medicinal plants in the treatment of inflammatory diseases of the upper respiratory tract

“…Bronchopulmonology, otorhinolaryngology свидетельствовало о выраженном антимикробном эффекте композиции масел «Дыши». Как известно, существуют тысячи структурно различных соединений, производимых растениями (полифенолы, терпеноиды, фенольные кислоты, эфирные масла, лектины, полипептиды и алкалоиды), каждое из которых обладает различными биологическими свой ствами, которые обеспечивают в т. ч. и антимикробные свой ства [20]. Разрушение плазматической мембраны является наиболее распространенным механизмом противомикробного действия ЭМ.…”

Evaluation of the Anticancer Effect of Saussurea costus Root Extract Against Induced Hepatic and Renal Cancer in White Mice: A Histopathological Study

“…Medicinal plants are a storehouse of numerous bioactive compounds with various therapeutic properties. The therapeutic potential of plants has been well explored over a very long period (Qassadi et al, 2023). The vast array of therapeutic effects associated with medicinal plants includes anti-inflammatory, antiviral, antitumor, antimalarial, and analgesic (Raina et al, 2014).…”