The revaluation of plant-derived terpenes to fight antibiotic-resistant Infections
The discovery of antibiotics has revolutionized the medicine and treatment of microbial
infections. However, the current scenario has highlighted the difficulties in marketing new
antibiotics and an exponential increase in the appearance of resistant strains. On the other hand,
research in the field of drug-discovery has revaluated the potential of natural products as a unique
source for new biologically active molecules and scaffolds for the medicinal chemistry. In this
review, we first contextualized the worldwide problem of antibiotic resistance and the importance
that natural products of plant origin acquire as a source of new lead compounds. We then focused
on terpenes and their potential development as antimicrobials, highlighting those studies that
showed an activity against conventional antibiotic-resistant strains.