Plant-derived Products for Developing New Antimicrobials

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) presents a significant challenge to global health, necessitating innovative therapeutic solutions. Antibiotics have been a cornerstone in managing infectious diseases, but their excessive use has led to a surge in drug resistant pathogens, impacting the effectiveness of many antimicrobials. The World Health Organization underlines this growing issue, emphasizing the urgent need for new antimicrobial agents.

Among the alternative approaches, there is a focus on natural sources, such as plant-derived extracts, due to their potential to produce effective antimicrobial compounds without the adverse side effects associated with synthetic drugs.

This Research Topic aims to explore the therapeutic effect of plant-derived antimicrobials as feasible alternatives to conventional antibiotics. Plants contain various bioactive compounds including quinones, phenols, alkaloids, flavonoids, terpenoids, essential oils, tannins, lignans, glucosinolates and some secondary metabolites, which contribute to their antimicrobial properties.

This topic seeks to further explore the properties of natural compounds and investigate how they can be integrated with existing treatments to combat resistant pathogens effectively.

To delve deeper into the realms of green biotechnology and antimicrobial science, this Research Topic is set to explore:

o Bioassay-driven screening and purification techniques for identifying and extracting plant-derived antimicrobials.

o Use of structural analyses and bioinformatics to discover new antimicrobial agents.

o Examination of how plant-based compounds interact with microbial targets and their mechanisms of action.

o Development of strategies that utilize plant-based antimicrobials to circumvent microbial resistance.

o Comparative analysis of the efficacy between plant antimicrobials and traditional antibiotics, as well as understanding the clinical and regulatory landscape for developing these plant-derived therapies.

Researchers are encouraged to submit their findings and innovations from methodological advancements to clinical applications, fostering an interdisciplinary discussion aimed at advancing the use of plant extracts to tackle AMR.

In this Research Topic, we welcome the following article types: Methods, Mini Review, Opinion, Original Research, Perspective, Review, Systematic Review.

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Review
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Review
• Systematic Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: plant extracts, antimicrobial resistance, bioactivities of natural compounds

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.