The role of nutrients and phyto-compounds in the modulation of antimicrobial resistance

Abstract

Antimicrobial resistance is quickly spreading and has become a major public health problem worldwide. If this issue is not resolved, it may cause a shift back to the pre-antibiotics era and infectious disease will again be a serious problem, especially in developing countries. Since the discovery of antibiotics, bacterial resistance has emerged, enabling certain bacteria to withstand antibiotic effects. The emergence of antibiotic resistance is fuelled by excessive and improper use of antimicrobial agents, especially in developing countries. For this reason, alternatives to or modifications of current treatment methods have been sought. Researchers are attempting to discover new strategies for dealing with antimicrobial resistance to avoid reverting to the preantibiotic era. From this perspective, recent studies indicate that certain compounds can act in synergy with currently used antimicrobials to enhance the potential of antimicrobial agents and thus to reduce the emergence of antimicrobial resistance. This review highlights the possible synergies of various agents that can augment antibiotic activities. Some of the agents discussed in this review include phytobiologics, phytochemicals, antioxidants, vitamins, peptides, and other nutrients. Some of these synergies are already being used to enhance the potential of currently used antimicrobial agents. More studies need to be conducted to better understand the mechanism of action of such compounds, and based on the results, new compounds may be sought. © 2015 Harakeh, Khan, Kumosani, Barbour, Almasaudi, Azhar, Rath and Niedweicki.