Natural Products and Microbial Interactions: From Antimicrobial Activity to Microbial Modulation

Natural products represent a rich and diverse reservoir of bioactive compounds with wide-ranging applications in microbiology. Beyond their classical antimicrobial effects, these compounds can modulate microbial physiology, disrupt intermicrobial communication, influence host–microbe interactions, and shape the composition and function of microbial communities.

Recent advances highlight the potential of nanoparticles and nano-based delivery systems to enhance both the efficacy and targeted delivery of natural compounds. These innovations open promising new avenues for antimicrobial strategies and therapeutic development.

This Research Topic welcomes original research articles, reviews, mini-reviews, and short communications that explore the microbiological relevance of natural products and their derivatives. Submissions focusing on infectious diseases, microbial ecology, resistance mechanisms, and microbial pathogenesis are particularly encouraged, whether approached from mechanistic, applied, or translational perspectives.

Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:

Antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, and antiparasitic activity of natural compounds

Modulation of microbial resistance and virulence mechanisms

Effects on quorum sensing, biofilm formation, and microbial signaling

Immunomodulatory properties of natural compounds in infection control

Influence on host-associated or environmental microbiota

Synergistic effects with conventional antimicrobials

Bioprospecting of natural sources (plants, fungi, marine organisms, etc.)

Mechanistic insights using microbiological, molecular, or omics-based approaches

Development and application of nanoparticles or nano-based delivery systems carrying natural compounds for antimicrobial purposes

This Research Topic aims to showcase innovative microbiological research on natural products and to promote interdisciplinary contributions at the intersection of microbiology, pharmacology, biotechnology, and nanoscience.

Article types and fees

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

• Brief Research Report
• Case Report
• Classification
• Clinical Trial
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• FAIR² DATA Direct Submission
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• ... 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:

• Brief Research Report
• Case Report
• Classification
• Clinical Trial
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• FAIR² DATA Direct Submission
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Review
• Systematic Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: natural products, antimicrobial activity, microbial resistance, nanoparticles, microbiota

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.