Natural Products and Their Modifications as Agents Used in the Fight Against Pathogens, 2nd Edition

A special issue of Pharmaceuticals (ISSN 1424-8247). This special issue belongs to the section "Natural Products".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 27 October 2025 | Viewed by 378

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Wroclaw Medical University, Chałubińskiego 4, 50-368 Wrocław, Poland
Interests: flavonoid; natural compounds; biological activity; anticancer activity; antioxidant activity; chalcone; multidrug-resistant pathogens; food science; antimicrobial agents; cytotoxicity assays; amyloid; Crohn’s disease; AIEC; biofilm
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The issue of bacterial strains’ resistance to commercially available antibiotics keeps clinicians around the world up at night. The search for new compounds of natural origin is therefore crucial in solving this issue. It is imperative that such products simultaneously protect the intestinal microbiota, which plays a vital role in maintaining overall bodily health.     

Various extracts of natural origin show biological activity at different levels and simultaneously exert a protective effect on the intestinal microbiota. It is important to choose such chemical modifications that concurrently increase antimicrobial activity, support our immune system, and possess anti-inflammatory and anti-proliferative properties.               

Of particular interest to this Special Issue are articles that compare the biological activity of pathogenic strains and/or intestinal microbiota in the presence of natural compounds/compounds used in medicine in various chemical modifications. Manuscripts examining the effect of plant extracts themselves and pure compounds or their combinations dominant in plants are also of interest.              

Extracts and their main components obtained as a result of chemical modifications and biotransformations appear to be the future in the fight against infections caused by multidrug-resistant strains.

Dr. Anna Duda-Madej
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • plant extract
  • natural compounds
  • multidrug-resistant strains
  • intestinal microbiota
  • chemical modyfication
  • biotransformation

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

21 pages, 5031 KiB  
Article
Caffeic Acid and Erythromycin: Antibacterial and Synergistic Effects on Staphylococci
by Małgorzata Kępa, Maria Miklasińska-Majdanik, Aleksandra Haczyk, Arkadiusz Matuła and Robert D. Wojtyczka
Pharmaceuticals 2025, 18(7), 964; https://doi.org/10.3390/ph18070964 - 26 Jun 2025
Viewed by 269
Abstract
Background: Antibiotic-resistant bacteria, especially Staphylococcus species, are a growing concern in healthcare settings and infections caused by multidrug-resistant strains are difficult to treat. Therefore, it is imperative to explore new treatment methods for these infections such as combinations of natural compounds with antibiotics. [...] Read more.
Background: Antibiotic-resistant bacteria, especially Staphylococcus species, are a growing concern in healthcare settings and infections caused by multidrug-resistant strains are difficult to treat. Therefore, it is imperative to explore new treatment methods for these infections such as combinations of natural compounds with antibiotics. Methods: The main objective of this study was to investigate the antimicrobial activity of caffeic acid against staphylococcal strains. The viability of bacterial cells and half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) for caffeic acid were also examined. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of the caffeic acid was determined using a serial microdilution method. To study the combined effect of caffeic acid and erythromycin, the fractional inhibitory concentrations (FICs) were determined. Results: Caffeic acid inhibited the growth of all the tested isolates, with MIC values ranging from 256 to 1024 µg/mL and reduced bacterial cell viability at concentrations corresponding to MIC values. Caffeic acid and erythromycin showed a synergistic effect when used together against three examined strains and had an additive effect against two isolates. However, their combination was indifferent against the seven remaining staphylococci tested. Conclusions: The results of our research demonstrate that caffeic acid has antimicrobial properties against the tested strains. Full article
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