choleraesuis, P. aeruginosa, Bacillus subtilis, Proteus spp) and resistant bacteria
isolated from hospital environment (K. pneumoniae, Shigella spp, Proteus spp,
P. aeruginosa, Enterobacter aerogenes, E. coli and S. aureus) showed that in some
cases it occurred synergism enabling already ineffective antibiotics to act on these
bacteria (Liu et al. 2017).
7.5 Antibiotic Resistance—Combination Therapy
(Antibiotic + Phytochemical/Plant Extract)
It is estimated that the herbal medicine market moves up to US$ 300 billion around
the world and the traditional pharmaceutical market is growing at an annual rate of
3% to 4% worldwide, while that of herbal medicines rises from 6 to 7% (Calixto
2019). On the other hand, the World Health Organization (WHO) recognizes the
importance of the therapeutic potential of plants, but does warnings about improper
use and preparation, and recommends caution if they consider the lack of knowledge about possible side effects with a joint administration of prescribed drugs. In
any case, what occurs in most societies today is a complementarity between
allopathy and the use of medicinal plants. In recent years and in most developing
countries, people have resorted to self-medication, which has often led to increased
microbial resistance to the drug. However, the trend in drug discovery is gradually
returning to natural products because of the constant development of microbial
resistance to synthetic drugs. The large-scale use of antibiotic therapy in recent
decades is largely a result of the aging process, which influences the increase of
infections associated with chronic age-related diseases such as metabolic, cardiovascular, and neoplastic diseases. These conditions are often associated with
oxidative stress and act directly on the global pharmaceutical burden. Resistance to
antimicrobials represents a growing challenge for modern science. Especially in a
hospital environment, the use of powerful, broad-spectrum antibiotics, inadequate
or sub-therapeutic treatment, as well as the lack or deficiency of preventive measures contribute to the development of resistance to these drugs. To this end,
strategies that prolong the effectiveness of currently available antibiotics, encourage
their rational use and reduce or avoid the spread of multi-drug-resistant microorganisms (MDRs) are sought. Understanding the mechanisms of antibiotic resistance
is a fundamental step toward the discovery of effective therapeutic measures (Rice
2018; Yelin and Kishony 2018).
Extracts from Piper species have been reported to be effective against
Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria and could be a potential lead to the
discovery of new antimicrobial drugs (Mgbeahuruike et al. 2017; Salehi et al.
2019). Antimicrobial photodynamic therapy has grown considerably in recent
decades as an effective and inexpensive alternative. Piper aduncum is popularly
known as monkey pepper with antibacterial activity. This study aimed to evaluate
the antibacterial and modulatory activity of Piper aduncum essential oil (EOPad)
7 Antibacterial and Antifungal Plant Metabolites …
273
isolated from hospital environment (K. pneumoniae, Shigella spp, Proteus spp,
P. aeruginosa, Enterobacter aerogenes, E. coli and S. aureus) showed that in some
cases it occurred synergism enabling already ineffective antibiotics to act on these
bacteria (Liu et al. 2017).
7.5 Antibiotic Resistance—Combination Therapy
(Antibiotic + Phytochemical/Plant Extract)
It is estimated that the herbal medicine market moves up to US$ 300 billion around
the world and the traditional pharmaceutical market is growing at an annual rate of
3% to 4% worldwide, while that of herbal medicines rises from 6 to 7% (Calixto
2019). On the other hand, the World Health Organization (WHO) recognizes the
importance of the therapeutic potential of plants, but does warnings about improper
use and preparation, and recommends caution if they consider the lack of knowledge about possible side effects with a joint administration of prescribed drugs. In
any case, what occurs in most societies today is a complementarity between
allopathy and the use of medicinal plants. In recent years and in most developing
countries, people have resorted to self-medication, which has often led to increased
microbial resistance to the drug. However, the trend in drug discovery is gradually
returning to natural products because of the constant development of microbial
resistance to synthetic drugs. The large-scale use of antibiotic therapy in recent
decades is largely a result of the aging process, which influences the increase of
infections associated with chronic age-related diseases such as metabolic, cardiovascular, and neoplastic diseases. These conditions are often associated with
oxidative stress and act directly on the global pharmaceutical burden. Resistance to
antimicrobials represents a growing challenge for modern science. Especially in a
hospital environment, the use of powerful, broad-spectrum antibiotics, inadequate
or sub-therapeutic treatment, as well as the lack or deficiency of preventive measures contribute to the development of resistance to these drugs. To this end,
strategies that prolong the effectiveness of currently available antibiotics, encourage
their rational use and reduce or avoid the spread of multi-drug-resistant microorganisms (MDRs) are sought. Understanding the mechanisms of antibiotic resistance
is a fundamental step toward the discovery of effective therapeutic measures (Rice
2018; Yelin and Kishony 2018).
Extracts from Piper species have been reported to be effective against
Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria and could be a potential lead to the
discovery of new antimicrobial drugs (Mgbeahuruike et al. 2017; Salehi et al.
2019). Antimicrobial photodynamic therapy has grown considerably in recent
decades as an effective and inexpensive alternative. Piper aduncum is popularly
known as monkey pepper with antibacterial activity. This study aimed to evaluate
the antibacterial and modulatory activity of Piper aduncum essential oil (EOPad)
7 Antibacterial and Antifungal Plant Metabolites …
273