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Advances in Natural Antimicrobial Compounds: Discovery, Synthesis, Characterization, and Application

A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417). This special issue belongs to the section "Applied Biosciences and Bioengineering".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 October 2025 | Viewed by 1099

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Life Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Via G. Campi 287, 41125 Modena, Italy
Interests: antibacterial activity; microbiology; infectious disease; epidemiology; public health; antimicrobials
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Antimicrobial resistance is gaining more attention as one of the greatest threats to the prevention and treatment of an increasing number of infections. Thus, there is a pressing need for the continuous supply of novel antibiotics to combat such diseases. At present, the high occurrence of resistance to all major classes of known antibiotics represents a new challenge, and new classes of antibacterial compounds are urgently required to respond to this unmet clinical need. Natural resources such as microorganisms, plants, and animals are used to extract novel compounds, of which microbes are a major source of new antimicrobial agents.

This Special Issue aims to explore natural antimicrobial compounds, emphasizing their synthesis, characterization, and diverse applications in clinical and environmental contexts within the framework of the One Health approach.

Dr. Carla Sabia
Dr. Ramona Iseppi
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

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Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • natural products
  • bacteriocins
  • antibacterial compounds
  • antibiofilm activity
  • antibiotic resistance

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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10 pages, 462 KiB  
Article
Mutation Rates and Fitness Genes in Staphylococcus aureus Treated with the Medicinal Plant Synadenium glaucescens
by Zaituni Msengwa, Martin Saxtorph Bojer, Frank Rwegoshora, James Mwesongo, Magesa Mafuru, Faith Philemon Mabiki, Beda John Mwang’onde, Madundo Mkumbukwa Mtambo, Lughano Jeremy Kusiluka, Henrik Christensen, Robinson Hammerthon Mdegela and John Elmerdahl Olsen
Appl. Sci. 2025, 15(15), 8753; https://doi.org/10.3390/app15158753 - 7 Aug 2025
Viewed by 312
Abstract
Extracts, fractions and the pure compound epifriedelanol of the medicinal plant Synadenium glaucescens have antibacterial properties. Herbal products are generally considered less prone to resistance development than conventional antimicrobials, as they contain multiple compounds, which makes bacteria less likely to develop resistance. However, [...] Read more.
Extracts, fractions and the pure compound epifriedelanol of the medicinal plant Synadenium glaucescens have antibacterial properties. Herbal products are generally considered less prone to resistance development than conventional antimicrobials, as they contain multiple compounds, which makes bacteria less likely to develop resistance. However, data supporting this notion are lacking. This study evaluated the development of resistance in Staphylococcus aureus subjected to extract, fractions and epifriedelanol of S. glaucescens. It also identified S. aureus fitness genes contributing to intrinsic resistance to extract of S. glaucescens. Fluctuation and gradient concentration assays were used to determine mutation rates and growth adaptation, respectively, which were lower following exposure to growth in crude extract than the pure compound epifriedelanol. By subjecting 1920 single gene mutants from the Nebraska Transposon Mutant Library to growth in the presence of extract of S. glaucescens, 12 genes were identified as important for natural resistance in S. aureus JE2; however, only mutation in the hemB gene decreased the minimum inhibitory concentration by greater than 4-fold (64-fold). In conclusion, purifying active antimicrobial compounds from S. glaucescens and using them as antibacterial substances as an alternative to crude extract increased the risk of resistance development. Further, the gene hemB appears to have a significant role in the natural resistance to the extracts obtained from S. glaucescens in this study. Full article
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Review

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14 pages, 547 KiB  
Review
Antibiofilm Potential of Natural Essential Oils
by Renata Nurzyńska-Wierdak
Appl. Sci. 2025, 15(11), 5847; https://doi.org/10.3390/app15115847 - 22 May 2025
Viewed by 563
Abstract
Commonly available essential oils (EOs) are pure aromatic substances derived from natural plant sources (fresh or dried raw materials), with broad biological activity, including antimicrobial activity. The activity of EOs is of great interest due to the serious problem of diseases caused by [...] Read more.
Commonly available essential oils (EOs) are pure aromatic substances derived from natural plant sources (fresh or dried raw materials), with broad biological activity, including antimicrobial activity. The activity of EOs is of great interest due to the serious problem of diseases caused by microorganisms. Pathogenic microorganisms (PAMs) show increased resistance to physical and chemical factors due to their association with a form of specific biological membrane called biofilm (BF), which is resistant to extreme conditions and significantly hinders effective therapy. The decreasing effectiveness of antibiotics, combined with the increasing resistance of microorganisms, has prompted the search for alternative antimicrobial (AM) therapies. EOs and some of their components are currently considered as potential agents useful in the prevention, treatment, and control of infections transmitted by microbial BF. In combination with antibiotics, EOs can prevent the transfer of resistance to AM agents due to the synergistic antibiofilm (ABF) effect. BF inhibition by EO is not based on killing bacterial cells but on the inhibition of the quorum sensing (QS) pathway. EOs also affect growth regulation, nutritional balance, and energy conversion in bacteria. It can be assumed that this group of substances will be of significant importance in the treatment of infectious diseases in the near future. This article reviews the results of the latest research on essential oils and their main components as potential factors limiting/inhibiting the development of PAMs. Full article
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