Natural Products and Their Antifungal Properties
Summary
Natural products encompass a vast array of small molecules produced by organisms such as plants, fungi and bacteria. Over millennia, these compounds have evolved as defence mechanisms against microbial invaders, including fungal pathogens. In recent years, scientists have harnessed these bioactive molecules to develop new antifungal agents for agriculture, medicine and industry. Key classes include phenolic compounds, terpenoids and alkaloids, each exhibiting distinct modes of action such as disruption of membrane integrity, inhibition of respiratory enzymes and interference with cell wall biosynthesis. The global rise in antifungal resistance among crop pathogens and human mycoses has reinvigorated interest in natural products as templates for novel treatments. Advances in high-throughput screening, synthetic biology and structure–activity relationship studies have accelerated the identification and optimisation of lead compounds. Together, these efforts underscore the potential of natural products to address urgent needs in sustainable agriculture and human health by providing environmentally benign, efficacious antifungal solutions.
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Natural Products and Their Antifungal Properties publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in natural products and their antifungal properties across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Mycelial growth inhibition: Prevention of fungal hyphae extension, often quantified by measuring colony diameter or optical density.
Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC): Lowest concentration of a compound required to prevent visible growth of a microorganism.
Alternative oxidase (AOX): A mitochondrial enzyme that enables respiration when the conventional electron transport chain is blocked.
Phytochemical: A bioactive chemical produced by plants, often with defensive or medicinal properties.
References
- Antifungal Activity of 2-Allylphenol Derivatives on the Botrytis cinerea Strain: Assessment of Possible Action Mechanism. International Journal of Molecular Sciences (2023).
- Unveiling Drimenol: A Phytochemical with Multifaceted Bioactivities. Plants (2024).
- Suppressive Activity of Glechoma hederacea Extracts against the Phytopathogenic Oomycete Plasmopara viticola, and First Screening of the Active Metabolites. Agriculture (2023).
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