Plant Food-Based Natural Products Are Relevant to the Management of Bacterial Resistance to Antimicrobial Drugs

Marcus Vinícius Dias-Souza

doi:10.53941/fsp.2026.100004

Abstract

This paper reviews the antimicrobial and antibiofilm potentials of plant food-based extracts and compounds, highlighting their relevance for the management of bacterial resistance to antimicrobial drugs. Extracts from different dietary sources, such as açaí (Euterpe oleracea), cashew (Anacardium occidentale), moringa (Moringa oleifera), passion fruit (Passiflora edulis), and guava (Psidium guajava), demonstrated inhibitory effects against both planktonic cells and biofilms, a major resistance mechanism of bacteria. The biological activity of plant food-based extracts and compounds is attributed to the inherent chemical complexity of phytomolecules like flavonoids, alkaloids, and tannins, which enable multi-target actions against microorganisms, with minimal inhibitory concentrations typically ranging from 7–16 µg/mL, and antibiofilm activity observed at minimal biofilm eradication concentrations ranging from 16–500 µg/mL. Combinations of the extracts/compounds with clinically relevant antimicrobial drugs showed promising synergism that could enhance antimicrobial efficacy (such as Euterpe oleracea), but some resulted in antagonism (such as Anacardium occidentale and Passiflora edulis), which can impair treatment. Further standardized in vivo studies and controlled clinical trials are necessary to validate efficacy, safety, and define appropriate clinical applications.

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