title: Polyphenols as antimicrobial agents.
abstract: Polyphenols are secondary metabolites produced by higher plants, which play multiple essential roles in plant physiology and have potential healthy properties on human organism, mainly as antioxidants, anti-allergic, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, antihypertensive, and antimicrobial agents. In the present review the antibacterial, antiviral, and antifungal activities of the most active polyphenol classes are reported, highlighting, where investigated, the mechanisms of action and the structure-activity relationship. Moreover, considering that the microbial resistance has become an increasing global problem, and there is a compulsory need to find out new potent antimicrobial agents as accessories to antibiotic therapy, the synergistic effect of polyphenols in combination with conventional antimicrobial agents against clinical multidrug-resistant microorganisms is discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Drug Sciences, University of Pavia, Via Taramelli 12, 27100 Pavia, Italy. maria.daglia@unipv.it
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Daglia
mesh_terms: D000890:Anti-Infective Agents / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001419:Bacteria / Q000187:drug effects; D005658:Fungi / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology; D059808:Polyphenols / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology*; D014780:Viruses / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D000890:Anti-Infective Agents; D010936:Plant Extracts; D059808:Polyphenols