Plant Products as Antimicrobial and Anticancer Agents

A special issue of Pharmaceuticals (ISSN 1424-8247). This special issue belongs to the section "Pharmacology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 January 2024) | Viewed by 9781

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Belozersky Institute of Physico-Chemical Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow 119991, Russia
Interests: MDR pumps; antioxidants; antibiotics
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Guest Editor
All-Russian Scientific Research Institute of Vegetable Growing, Odintsovo, Russia
Interests: breeding and seed production of agricultural plants; vegetable production; agricultural technology; salad crops; micro vegetables; vertical cultivation

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Guest Editor
Center of Life Sciences, Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology, Moscow, Russia
Interests: fluorescent proteins; persister cells; plant protection; MDR pumps; biofilms; antibacterial substances

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The unprecedented use of antibiotics has led to the development of resistance among microorganisms, which affects human health worldwide. Plants are rich in a wide variety of secondary metabolites, such as tannins, terpenoids, alkaloids, and flavonoids. Some of these have antimicrobial properties in vitro. Moreover, some plants may simultaneously contain other active substances, for example, those that inhibit the progression of cancer. Approximately between one-quarter and one-half of all pharmaceuticals dispensed worldwide have higher-plant origins, though very few are intended for use as antimicrobials or anticancer treatments. The public is becoming increasingly aware of the problems with the overprescription and misuse of traditional antibiotics and are interested in having more autonomy over their medical care. Plant extracts and the substances derived from plants make it possible to achieve this. In addition, the complex microbiome communities in plants can be excellent sources of antibacterial, antifungal and anticancer drugs. This Special Issue plans to give an overview of the most recent advances in the field of antimicrobial agents and their applications in diverse areas of healthcare, agriculture, and animal husbandry. Also, anti-cancer plant substances and their combinations with antibacterial and antifungal herbal substances are discussed in this Special Issue.

Potential topics include, but are not limited to:

  • Antimicrobial substances and their preparation;
  • Biosynthesis of antimicrobial substances;
  • Antimicrobial extracts and their use thereof;
  • Plant microbiomes and its products;
  • Resistance to natural compounds;
  • Role of natural compounds in microbe ecology and evolution;
  • Plant immunity and communication with microbiome;
  • Immunoadjuvants and herbal stimulants;
  • Antimicrobial activity and mechanism of resistance;
  • Anticancer activity and their combinations with antimicrobial activity.

Dr. Pavel A. Nazarov
Dr. Maria I. Ivanova
Dr. Marina V. Karakozova
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • antibiotic
  • resistance
  • MDR pumps
  • biofilm
  • antifungal agents
  • tannins
  • terpenoids
  • alkaloids
  • flavonoids
  • bacteria
  • fungi
  • plants extracts
  • plant products
  • anticancer substance

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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15 pages, 2726 KiB  
Article
In Vitro Synergistic Inhibitory Effects of Plant Extract Combinations on Bacterial Growth of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus
by Jae-Young Jeong, In-Geun Jung, Seung-Hoon Yum and You-Jin Hwang
Pharmaceuticals 2023, 16(10), 1491; https://doi.org/10.3390/ph16101491 - 20 Oct 2023
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 6197
Abstract
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is one of the most common pathogens of healthcare-associated infections. Medicinal plants have long been used in the traditional treatment of diseases or syndromes worldwide. Combined use of plant extracts could improve the effectiveness of pharmacological action by obtaining [...] Read more.
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is one of the most common pathogens of healthcare-associated infections. Medicinal plants have long been used in the traditional treatment of diseases or syndromes worldwide. Combined use of plant extracts could improve the effectiveness of pharmacological action by obtaining synergism, acting on multiple targets simultaneously, reducing the doses of individual components, and minimizing side effects. We aimed to investigate the synergistic inhibitory effects of selected medicinal plants (Caesalpinia sappan L. (CS), Glycyrrhiza uralensis Fisch. (GU), Sanguisorba officinalis L. (SO), and Uncaria gambir Roxb. (UG)) on the bacterial growth of MRSA and its clinical isolates. SO and UG extracts generated the best synergistic interaction as adjudged by checkerboard synergy assays. MICs of the individual extracts decreased 4-fold from 250 to 62.5 μg/mL, respectively. The SO + UG combination was further evaluated for its effects on bacterial growth inhibition, minimum bactericidal/inhibitory concentration (MBC/MIC) ratio, and time-kill kinetics. The results indicate that the SO + UG combination synergistically inhibited the bacterial growth of MRSA strains with bactericidal effects. SO + UG combination also exhibited more potent effects against clinical isolates. In multistep resistance selection experiments, both standard and isolates of MRSA showed no resistance to the SO + UG combination even after repeated exposure over fourteen passages. Our data suggest that using plant extract combinations could be a potential strategy to treat MRSA infections. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Products as Antimicrobial and Anticancer Agents)
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Review

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20 pages, 1941 KiB  
Review
Chenopodium quinoa Willd. and Amaranthus hybridus L.: Ancestral Andean Food Security and Modern Anticancer and Antimicrobial Activity
by Juan Carlos Romero-Benavides, Evelyn Guaraca-Pino, Rodrigo Duarte-Casar, Marlene Rojas-Le-Fort and Natalia Bailon-Moscoso
Pharmaceuticals 2023, 16(12), 1728; https://doi.org/10.3390/ph16121728 - 15 Dec 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 3078
Abstract
The species Chenopodium quinoa Willd. and Amaranthus hybridus L. are Andean staples, part of the traditional diet and gastronomy of the people of the highlands of Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, northern Argentina and Chile, with several ethnopharmacological uses, among them anticancer applications. This [...] Read more.
The species Chenopodium quinoa Willd. and Amaranthus hybridus L. are Andean staples, part of the traditional diet and gastronomy of the people of the highlands of Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, northern Argentina and Chile, with several ethnopharmacological uses, among them anticancer applications. This review aims to present updated information on the nutritional composition, phytochemistry, and antimicrobial and anticancer activity of Quinoa and Amaranth. Both species contribute to food security due to their essential amino acid contents, which are higher than those of most staples. It is highlighted that the biological activity, especially the antimicrobial activity in C. quinoa, and the anticancer activity in both species is related to the presence of phytochemicals present mostly in leaves and seeds. The biological activity of both species is consistent with their phytochemical composition, with phenolic acids, flavonoids, carotenoids, alkaloids, terpenoids, saponins and peptides being the main compound families of interest. Extracts of different plant organs of both species and peptide fractions have shown in vitro and, to a lesser degree, in vivo activity against a variety of bacteria and cancer cell lines. These findings confirm the antimicrobial and anticancer activity of both species, C. quinoa having more reported activity than A. hybridus through different compounds and mechanisms. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Products as Antimicrobial and Anticancer Agents)
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