From plants to antimicrobials: Natural products against bacterial membranes

Abstract

Bacterial membrane barrier provides a cytoplasmic environment for organelles of bacteria. The membrane is composed of lipid compounds containing phosphatide protein and a minimal amount of sugars, and is responsible for intercellular transfers of chemicals. Several antimicrobials have been found that affect bacterial cytoplasmic membranes. These compounds generally disrupt the organization of the membrane or perforate it. By destroying the membrane, the drugs can permeate and replace the effective macromolecules necessary for cell life. Furthermore, they can disrupt electrical gradients of the cells through impairment of the membrane integrity. In recent years, considering the spread of microbial resistance and the side effects of antibiotics, natural antimicrobial compounds have been studied by researchers extensively.These molecules are the best alternative for controlling bacterial infections and reducing drug resistance due to the lack of severe side effects, low cost of production, and biocompatibility. Better understanding of the natural compounds' mechanisms against bacteria provides improved strategies for antimicrobial therapies. In this review, natural products with antibacterial activities focusing on membrane damaging mechanisms were described. However, further high-quality research studies are needed to confirm the clinical efficacy of these natural products.

Chemical Composition and Antibacterial and Antioxidant Activities of Stem Bark Essential Oil and Extracts of Solanecio gigas

“…ribose, Na glutamate) but they also interfere with membrane functions (electron transport, nutrient uptake, protein, nucleic acid synthesis and enzyme activity) [ 33 ]. Thus, active phenolic compounds might have several invasive targets which could lead to the inhibition of bacterial pathogens [ 33 , 34 ]. There was a study that found the ginger leaves and chia seeds with higher phenolic content showed more significant potential to eliminate the pathogenic bacteria [ 35 , 36 ].…”

The Immunomodulatory Effects of Active Ingredients From Nigella sativa in RAW264.7 Cells Through NF-κB/MAPK Signaling Pathways

“…As a consequence, the global focus is on the study of bioactive natural regulators for human health. This seems to be more important in modern times, because a diet-dependent preventive lifestyle may reduce our growing dependence on antibiotics or may combine to increase the efficacy of antibiotics ( 8 ).…”

Membrane-Targeting Neolignan-Antimicrobial Peptide Mimic Conjugates to Combat Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) Infections

“…The disruption of bacterial membranes or alteration of permeability can lead to the production of intracellular ROS and leakage of the intracellular material. − Given the membrane-targeting properties of compounds III5 and III15 , we, therefore, determined the effects of III5 and III15 on the production of intracellular ROS and leakage of bacterial proteins and DNA. The marked accumulation of intracellular ROS was in a dose-dependent manner (Figure S2) when MRSA was treated with III5 and III15 , and III15 exhibited a stronger effect of inducing ROS production compared with III5 .…”