Microbial Bioactives
Microbial Bioactives | Online ISSN 2209-2161
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Volume 7 Number 1 2024
REVIEWS (Open Access)
Harnessing Nature’s Arsenal: A Systematic Perspective on Plant Derived Antimicrobial Combinations Against Drug Resistant Pathogens
Seyedeh Fatemeh Jafari 1*, Sajedeh Ghasempour2, Mohsen Naseri 3, Fatemeh Alijaniha 3
Microbial Bioactives 7 (1) 1-8 https://doi.org/10.25163/microbbioacts.7110665
Submitted: 17 October 2024 Revised: 02 December 2024 Accepted: 09 December 2024 Published: 11 December 2024
Abstract
The escalating global threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) poses severe challenges to public health, threatening to render common infections and routine medical procedures life-threatening. Conventional single-target antibiotics often fail against multidrug-resistant (MDR) pathogens, necessitating alternative strategies. Plant-derived bioactive compounds offer a diverse chemical arsenal with inherent antimicrobial potential, often functioning through complex synergistic, additive, or antagonistic interactions. Systematic studies and meta-analyses indicate that combinatorial approaches—pairing phytochemicals with each other or with conventional antibiotics—can enhance antimicrobial efficacy, reduce required dosages, and limit the emergence of resistance. Key mechanisms include membrane disruption, enzyme inhibition, interference with nucleic acid synthesis, and efflux pump modulation. Synergistic combinations are particularly promising, as they exploit multi-targeted attacks that pathogens find harder to counter. Advanced analytical tools such as metabolomics, biochemometrics, and computational synergy prediction enable the identification of potent compound combinations from complex plant matrices. In vivo models, including Caenorhabditis elegans, facilitate preclinical evaluation of both efficacy and safety, bridging the gap between in vitro findings and clinical application. While challenges remain—including chemical variability, antagonistic interactions, and limited human trials—systematic evaluation of plant-derived combinations provides a strategic pathway to complement existing antibiotics. Integrating multi-targeted phytochemicals with conventional therapeutics represents a promising avenue in the fight against AMR, offering a sustainable and biologically inspired solution to one of the most pressing global health crises of the 21st century.
Keywords: antimicrobial resistance, plant-derived compounds, synergistic interactions, multidrug-resistant pathogens, natural product combinations
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