The Use of Plant Secondary Metabolites in the Treatment of Bacterial Diseases

Abstract

Plants produce an array of secondary metabolites identified as possible antimicrobialagents that are used across the globe to treat numerous diseases and ailments.These secondary metabolites serve as unique commercial sources of variouspharmaceuticals, food additives and flavouring agents, and possess diverse industrialapplications. Alkaloids, flavonoids, and polyphenols are secondary metabolites shownto attack numerous gram-positive and gram negative bacteria in response to microbialinfections. Secondary plant metabolites have a detrimental effect on microbial cells inseveral ways, such as alteration of the structure and function of the cytoplasmicmembrane as well as DNA/RNA synthesis, interference with intermediary metabolism,interaction with membrane proteins, a disruption in the movement of protons leading toion leakage, enzyme synthesis inhibition, the clotting of cytoplasmic components andinterference in typical cell communication. This ultimately results in cell death. Thefocus of this chapter is to provide an overview of the function and benefits of plantsecondary metabolites as therapeutic agents to combat pathogenic bacterial infections.