PLANT-DERIVED THERAPEUTICS AS A NOVEL STRATEGY TO COMBAT ANTIMICROBIAL RESISTANCE: CURRENT ADVANCES AND FUTURE PERSPECTIVE

Abstract

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has emerged as one of the most critical global public health challenges of the 21st century, significantly compromising the effectiveness of conventional antibiotics and increasing morbidity, mortality, and healthcare costs worldwide. In this context, plant-derived therapeutics have gained considerable scientific attention owing to their diverse bioactive phytoconstituents and broad-spectrum antimicrobial potential. Medicinal plants contain a wide range of secondary metabolites, including alkaloids, flavonoids, terpenoids, phenolic compounds, tannins, saponins, and essential oils, which exhibit antimicrobial activity through multiple mechanisms, such as disruption of microbial cell membranes, inhibition of biofilm formation, suppression of quorum sensing, modulation of efflux pumps, and interference with nucleic acid and protein synthesis. Additionally, synergistic combinations of phytochemicals with conventional antibiotics have demonstrated promising potential for enhancing antibiotic activity and overcoming specific resistance mechanisms. This review comprehensively discusses recent advances in plant-derived antimicrobial agents, their mechanisms of action, activity against MDR pathogens, antibiotic-adjuvant potential, and emerging technological approaches for improving their therapeutic efficacy. Overall, plant-derived therapeutics represent a promising and sustainable avenue for the discovery and development of complementary antimicrobial strategies to address the growing global burden of AMR.