Plant antibacterials: The challenges and opportunities.

Area of Science:

• Natural product chemistry
• Pharmacology
• Microbiology

Background:

• Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a growing global health threat.
• Natural products, particularly from plants, offer a rich source of potential antimicrobial agents.
• Current effective antimicrobial drugs are largely derived from fungal and bacterial species.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the challenges hindering the clinical application of plant-derived antimicrobial compounds.
• To critically examine the obstacles in the discovery and development pipeline for these agents.
• To provide insights for advancing plant-derived antimicrobials to combat AMR.

Main Methods:

• Comprehensive literature review of plant-derived antimicrobial compounds.
• Analysis of challenges in sourcing, rediscovery, and pharmacokinetic properties.
• Examination of knowledge gaps in molecular targets and mechanisms of action.

Main Results:

• Limited sourcing and risk of agent rediscovery are significant hurdles.
• Suboptimal drug metabolism and pharmacokinetics (DMPK) properties impede development.
• Lack of understanding regarding molecular targets and mechanisms of action is a key issue.

Conclusions:

• Addressing the identified challenges is crucial for the successful clinical development of plant-derived antimicrobials.
• Further research is needed to overcome obstacles in sourcing, DMPK, and target identification.
• Plant-derived compounds hold significant potential as novel solutions to the AMR crisis.