Advanced Research on Antimicrobial Activity of Natural Products

A special issue of Microorganisms (ISSN 2076-2607). This special issue belongs to the section "Antimicrobial Agents and Resistance".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 May 2025 | Viewed by 635

Special Issue Editors


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Department of Pharmacology and Clinical Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 020956 Bucharest, Romania
Interests: AI in drug design; small-molecule therapeutics; drug target prediction; pharmacoinformatics
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Guest Editor Assistant
Department of Pharmacology and Clinical Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 020956 Bucharest, Romania
Interests: computational drug discovery; pharmacoinformatics; virtual screening
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The global rise of antimicrobial resistance presents a critical challenge to public health, as antibiotics steadily lose their effectiveness against a growing number of resistant pathogens. This Special Issue calls for innovative solutions, and natural products have emerged as promising candidates for the development of novel antimicrobial agents.

We are delighted to announce this Special Issue, titled “Advanced Research on Antimicrobial Activity of Natural Products”, dedicated to showcasing groundbreaking advancements in this dynamic field. This Special Issue aims to highlight the discovery, characterization, and application of bioactive compounds derived from natural sources, with a focus on combating resistant strains and exploring innovative therapeutic strategies.

We warmly invite researchers to contribute original research articles and in-depth reviews. Areas of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Identification and isolation of novel antimicrobial compounds;
  • Mechanistic studies and biosynthetic pathways;
  • Synergistic effects with existing antibiotics;
  • Exploration of traditional medicinal plants and their derivatives.

This Special Issue offers a platform for presenting research that bridges the gap between natural product discovery and the pressing need for effective anti-infective solutions. Contributions that emphasize the transformative potential of natural ingredients in addressing the limitations of current antibiotic therapies are especially encouraged. We look forward to your valuable contributions.

Dr. Anca Zanfirescu
Guest Editor

Dr. Corina Andrei
Guest Editor Assistant

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • antimicrobial resistance
  • antimicrobial activity
  • pathogens
  • infectious disorders
  • natural products
  • anti-infective agents

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

19 pages, 1580 KiB  
Article
Fungistatic and Bactericidal Activity of Hydroalcoholic Extracts of Root of Jatropha dioica Sessé
by Lizeth Aguilar-Galaviz, Jorge Cadena-Iñiguez, Dalia Abigail García-Flores, Gerardo Loera-Alvarado, Diego Rivera-Escareño and María Azucena Ortega-Amaro
Microorganisms 2025, 13(5), 1027; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms13051027 - 29 Apr 2025
Abstract
Jatropha dioica Sessé (JD) is a plant from arid and semiarid zones of Mexico related to local therapeutic uses and possible use in food and agriculture as a control agent of pest organisms that helps to reduce impacts on the environment, human health [...] Read more.
Jatropha dioica Sessé (JD) is a plant from arid and semiarid zones of Mexico related to local therapeutic uses and possible use in food and agriculture as a control agent of pest organisms that helps to reduce impacts on the environment, human health and resistance by phytopathogens. In vitro bactericidal activity was evaluated with the well diffusion method in doses of 1000, 2500, 5000, 7500, 10,000 and 20,000 µg mL−1, and fungistatic activity was evaluated with the agar dilution method (500, 1000, 1500, 2000 and 4000 µg mL−1) in Pseudomonas syringae, Botrytis cinerea and Fusarium oxysporum using hydroalcoholic extracts of J. dioica root in a completely randomized design with five replications. Total phenol and flavonoid contents were recorded by the Folin–Ciocalteu and aluminum chloride methods. Ethanol and methanol extracts showed fungistatic activity on B. cinerea, inhibiting from 42.27 ± 1.09 to 46.68 ± 0.98 mg mL−1, with an IC50 of 5.04 mg mL−1, with no differences by solvent type. In F. oxysporum, inhibition ranged from 14.77 ± 1.08 to 29.19 ± 0.89 mg mL−1, and the methanol extract was more efficient, generating a stress response to the ethanol extract. The bactericidal activity on P. syringae recorded inhibition zones of 17.66 ± 0.33 and 16.66 ± 0.33 mg mL−1, with ethanol being more efficient. The phenol content ranged from 8.92 ± 0.25 to 12.10 ± 0.34 mg EAG g−1 and flavonoid content ranged from 20.49 ± 0.33 to 28.21 ± 0.73 mg QE g−1 of sample dry weight. The results highlight the biological activity of J. dioica as an alternative to biopesticides that minimize agrochemical applications and generate pathogen resistance. These advances contribute to the revaluation and conservation of the species. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Research on Antimicrobial Activity of Natural Products)
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21 pages, 654 KiB  
Article
Antibacterial Effects of Bulgarian Oregano and Thyme Essential Oils Alone and in Combination with Antibiotics Against Klebsiella pneumoniae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa
by Silviya Mihaylova, Antoaneta Tsvetkova, Sylvia Stamova, Neli Ermenlieva, Gabriela Tsankova, Emiliya Georgieva, Katya Peycheva, Veselina Panayotova and Yulian Voynikov
Microorganisms 2025, 13(4), 843; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms13040843 - 7 Apr 2025
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Abstract
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) poses a global health threat, with multidrug-resistant (MDR) Klebsiella pneumoniae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa contributing to the burden, especially in Bulgaria. This study investigates recent resistance trends of these pathogens in Bulgaria and evaluates the antibacterial effects of commercially available oregano [...] Read more.
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) poses a global health threat, with multidrug-resistant (MDR) Klebsiella pneumoniae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa contributing to the burden, especially in Bulgaria. This study investigates recent resistance trends of these pathogens in Bulgaria and evaluates the antibacterial effects of commercially available oregano (Origanum vulgare) and thyme (Thymus vulgaris) essential oils (EOs), both alone and in combination with conventional antibiotics. The chemical composition of the EOs was analyzed using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS), revealing carvacrol (84.2%) as the main component in oregano EO and thymol (45.74%) in thyme EO. Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) values of the EOs were determined using the serial dilution method. Oregano EO exhibited lower MIC and MBC values (0.039–1.250%) compared to thyme EO (0.156–5.000%) against both pathogens. The disk diffusion assay showed that oregano EO exhibits more potent antibacterial effects than thyme EO in Klebsiella pneumoniae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains. The findings highlight the potential of EOs as adjunctive therapies to enhance the efficacy of conventional antibiotics against MDR Klebsiella pneumoniae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains in Bulgaria. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Research on Antimicrobial Activity of Natural Products)
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