Effects of Traditional Chinese Medicine and its Active Ingredients on Drug-Resistant Bacteria

Abstract

The increasing and widespread application of antibacterial drugs makes antibiotic resistance a prominent and growing concern in clinical practice. The emergence of multidrug-resistant bacteria presents a global threat. However, the development and use of novel antibacterial agents involves time-consuming and costly challenges that may lead to yet further drug resistance. More recently, researchers have turned to traditional Chinese medicine to stem the rise of antibiotic resistance in pathogens. Many studies have shown traditional Chinese medicines to have significant bacteriostatic and bactericidal effects, with the advantage of low drug resistance. Some of which when combined with antibiotics, have also demonstrated antibacterial activity by synergistic effect. Traditional Chinese medicine has a variety of active components, including flavonoids, alkaloids, phenols, and quinones, which can inhibit the growth of drug-resistant bacteria and be used in combination with a variety of antibiotics to treat various drug-resistant bacterial infections. We reviewed the interaction between the active ingredients of traditional Chinese medicines and antibiotic-resistant bacteria. At present, flavonoids and alkaloids are the active ingredients that have been most widely studied, with significant synergistic activity demonstrated when used in combination with antibiotics against drug-resistant bacteria. The reviewed studies show that traditional Chinese medicine and its active ingredients have antimicrobial activity on antibiotic-resistant bacteria, which may enhance the susceptibility of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, potentially reduce the required dosage of antibacterial agents and the rate of drug resistance. Our results provide direction for finding and developing alternative methods to counteract drug-resistant bacteria, offering a new therapeutic strategy for tackling antibiotic resistance.

Nucleic acid strand displacement for indirect determination of foodborne bacteria by capillary electrophoresis and its application in antagonism and bacteriostasis studies

“…Some traditional Chinese medicines have good abilities of bacteriostasis for bacteria, including foodborne bacteria [23]. C. chinensis, S. chinensis, and honeysuckle are frequently applied in the treatment of the infection of bacteria [24][25][26].…”

Study on Antibacterial Activity and Mechanism of Improved Dian Dao San Against Cutibacterium acnes (C. acnes)

“…Many studies have demonstrated that traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) contains a diverse range of active components including antibacterial activity with the advantage of low drug resistance. 14,15 Our previous study proved that Patrinia scabiosaefolia possessed strong antibacterial against methicillin resistant Staphylococcus epidermidis. 16 Similarly, Houttuynia cordata showed good antibacterial activity to Staphylococcus aureus.…”

A new approach to overcoming antibiotic-resistant bacteria: Traditional Chinese medicine therapy based on the gut microbiota

“…Research into antibiotic resistance is now gradually attracting widespread attention. Chinese traditional medicine (TCM) plays a unique role in regulating the activity of drug-resistant bacteria ( Su et al., 2020 ; Li et al., 2022 ), including altering the permeability of the biofilm of drug-resistant bacteria, the efflux pump, and the occurrence of resistance mechanisms such as enzyme activity. In addition, most TCMs are taken orally into the digestive tract to exert their regulatory effects on the body, while some studies have found that changes in the gut microbiota and gut microenvironment affect pathogenic bacteria in the gut ( Baumler and Sperandio, 2016 ).…”