Maleimide structure: a promising scaffold for the development of antimicrobial agents

Natural compounds bearing maleimide rings are a series of secondary metabolites derived from fungi/marine microorganisms, which are characterized by a general structure -CO-N(R)-CO-, and the R group is normally substituted with alkyl or aryl groups. Maleimide compounds show various biological activities such as antibacterial, antifungal, and anticancer activity. In this review, the broad-spectrum antimicrobial activities of 15 maleimide compounds from natural sources and 32 artificially synthesized maleimides were summarized, especially against Candida albicans, Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, and Staphylococcus aureus. It highlights that maleimide scaffold has tremendous potential to be utilized in the development of novel antimicrobial agents.