Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2009, 10(8), 3400-3419; doi:10.3390/ijms10083400
Review

Plant Antimicrobial Agents and Their Effects on Plant and Human Pathogens

Rocío González-Lamothe 1 email, Gabriel Mitchell 1 email, Mariza Gattuso 1 email, Moussa S. Diarra 2 email, François Malouin 1,* email and Kamal Bouarab 1,* email
1 Département de Biologie, Faculté de Sciences, Université de Sherbrooke, 2500 Boulevard de l’Uni-versité, Sherbrooke, Québec J1K 2R1, Canada 2 Pacific Agri-Food Research Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, P.O. Box 1000, Agassiz, BC V0M 1A0, Canada
* Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Received: 5 June 2009; in revised form: 21 July 2009 / Accepted: 27 July 2009 / Published: 31 July 2009
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Antimicrobial Agents)
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Abstract: To protect themselves, plants accumulate an armoury of antimicrobial secondary metabolites. Some metabolites represent constitutive chemical barriers to microbial attack (phytoanticipins) and others inducible antimicrobials (phytoalexins). They are extensively studied as promising plant and human disease-controlling agents. This review discusses the bioactivity of several phytoalexins and phytoanticipins defending plants against fungal and bacterial aggressors and those with antibacterial activities against pathogens affecting humans such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus involved in respiratory infections of cystic fibrosis patients. The utility of plant products as “antibiotic potentiators” and “virulence attenuators” is also described as well as some biotechnological applications in phytoprotection.
Keywords: antimicrobial; phytoalexin; phytoanticipin; secondary metabolites; infectious disease; cystic fibrosis; phytoprotection

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MDPI and ACS Style

González-Lamothe, R.; Mitchell, G.; Gattuso, M.; Diarra, M.S.; Malouin, F.; Bouarab, K. Plant Antimicrobial Agents and Their Effects on Plant and Human Pathogens. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2009, 10, 3400-3419.

AMA Style

González-Lamothe R., Mitchell G., Gattuso M., Diarra M.S., Malouin F., Bouarab K. Plant Antimicrobial Agents and Their Effects on Plant and Human Pathogens. International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 2009; 10(8):3400-3419.

Chicago/Turabian Style

González-Lamothe, Rocío; Mitchell, Gabriel; Gattuso, Mariza; Diarra, Moussa S.; Malouin, François; Bouarab, Kamal. 2009. "Plant Antimicrobial Agents and Their Effects on Plant and Human Pathogens." Int. J. Mol. Sci. 10, no. 8: 3400-3419.

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