Strategies to Improve Antimicrobial Activity of Natural Products: Approaches and Challenges

PÉREZ ZAMORA, CRISTINA MARISEL; TORRES, CAROLA ANALÍA; GONZALEZ, ANA MARÍA

Bioprospecting of Tropical Medicinal Plants

Springer

Lugar: Suiza; Año: 2023; p. 1265 - 1298

Natural products derived from plants play an important role in the development of antimicrobial agents. Antimicrobials are of interest both in the pharmaceutical industry to prevent or fight infections, and in the food industry for their ability to extend the shelf life of food. Although numerous plant extracts and their natural products (metabolites) have demonstrated antimicrobial potential, they still have numerous limitations for being used as antimicrobials. Among them we can mention the genetic or edaphic variabilities of the plant, the difficulty in isolating the biocompounds, the low yield of the extract or the natural product, the low antimicrobial potency compared to pure synthetics antimicrobials, the low stability can also be mentioned, and poor solubility in water. Due to the enormous biodiversity and the growing problem of microbial resistance to current drugs, numerous research groups seek to improve the antimicrobial activity of plant extracts or their metabolites through different techniques, such as the combination of antimicrobial substances in search of synergism, the formation of inclusion complexes with cyclodextrins, the elaboration of polymeric nanoparticles, solid lipid nanoparticles, nanoemulsions, among others. Various antimicrobial combinations, as well as different formulations, have proven useful in enhancing the proven biological activity of natural products. This chapter will develop the studies that exist in this regard, the natural products studied in recent years, the field of application, the main results obtained, the difficulties and perspectives for this field of research.