271
© Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2017
S. Sugathan et al. (eds.), Bioresources and Bioprocess in Biotechnology,
DOI 10.1007/978-981-10-4284-3_11
R. Reghu • S. Sugathan (*)
Division of Microbiology, Jawaharlal Nehru Tropical Botanic Garden and Research Institute,
Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala 695562, India
e-mail: reshma_rs2003@yahoo.com; drshiburaj@gmail.com
P. Sahadevan
Department of Biochemistry, Montreal Heart Institute, Montreal, Québec H1T 1C8, Canada
e-mail: pramod44@gmail.com
11
Antimicrobial Agents from Plants
Reshma Reghu, Pramod Sahadevan,
and Shiburaj Sugathan
Abstract
Plants represent an inexhaustible source of novel molecules for recent drug discovery studies. Plant extracts and their active constituents have long been used in
traditional medicine for the treatment of several diseases. The emergence of
antibiotic-resistant microbial strains and the resurgence of newer and more
deadly diseases have called for the need to discover novel antimicrobials. The
entire natural resources are being screened in a rapid pace to identify potential
drug leads. Recent advances in the development of techniques for isolation, characterization and pharmacological evaluation have led to an interest in plant secondary metabolites as a source of new drugs. Natural product research is
continuously exploring the chemical diversity of several lead molecules, which
can be used as templates for new drug discovery. This chapter will focus on the
significance of plant derived compounds for the development of novel antimicrobial agents.
Keywords
Natural products • Antimicrobials • Phytochemicals
© Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2017
S. Sugathan et al. (eds.), Bioresources and Bioprocess in Biotechnology,
DOI 10.1007/978-981-10-4284-3_11
R. Reghu • S. Sugathan (*)
Division of Microbiology, Jawaharlal Nehru Tropical Botanic Garden and Research Institute,
Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala 695562, India
e-mail: reshma_rs2003@yahoo.com; drshiburaj@gmail.com
P. Sahadevan
Department of Biochemistry, Montreal Heart Institute, Montreal, Québec H1T 1C8, Canada
e-mail: pramod44@gmail.com
11
Antimicrobial Agents from Plants
Reshma Reghu, Pramod Sahadevan,
and Shiburaj Sugathan
Abstract
Plants represent an inexhaustible source of novel molecules for recent drug discovery studies. Plant extracts and their active constituents have long been used in
traditional medicine for the treatment of several diseases. The emergence of
antibiotic-resistant microbial strains and the resurgence of newer and more
deadly diseases have called for the need to discover novel antimicrobials. The
entire natural resources are being screened in a rapid pace to identify potential
drug leads. Recent advances in the development of techniques for isolation, characterization and pharmacological evaluation have led to an interest in plant secondary metabolites as a source of new drugs. Natural product research is
continuously exploring the chemical diversity of several lead molecules, which
can be used as templates for new drug discovery. This chapter will focus on the
significance of plant derived compounds for the development of novel antimicrobial agents.
Keywords
Natural products • Antimicrobials • Phytochemicals