title: Plant Natural Products Targeting Bacterial Virulence Factors.
abstract: Decreased antimicrobial efficiency has become a global public health issue. The paucity of new antibacterial drugs is evident, and the arsenal against infectious diseases needs to be improved urgently. The selection of plants as a source of prototype compounds is appropriate, since plant species naturally produce a wide range of secondary metabolites that act as a chemical line of defense against microorganisms in the environment. Although traditional approaches to combat microbial infections remain effective, targeting microbial virulence rather than survival seems to be an exciting strategy, since the modulation of virulence factors might lead to a milder evolutionary pressure for the development of resistance. Additionally, anti-infective chemotherapies may be successfully achieved by combining antivirulence and conventional antimicrobials, extending the lifespan of these drugs. This review presents an updated discussion of natural compounds isolated from plants with chemically characterized structures and activity against the major bacterial virulence factors: quorum sensing, bacterial biofilms, bacterial motility, bacterial toxins, bacterial pigments, bacterial enzymes, and bacterial surfactants. Moreover, a critical analysis of the most promising virulence factors is presented, highlighting their potential as targets to attenuate bacterial virulence. The ongoing progress in the field of antivirulence therapy may therefore help to translate this promising concept into real intervention strategies in clinical areas.
authors.affiliation: Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul , Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul 90610-000, Brazil.|Centro de Biotecnologia, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul , Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul 91501-970, Brazil.
authors.forename: Laura Nunes
authors.initials: LN
authors.lastname: Silva
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Ciências Básicas da Saúde, Universidade Federal de Ciências da Saúde de Porto Alegre , Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul 90050-170, Brazil.
authors.forename: Karine Rigon
authors.initials: KR
authors.lastname: Zimmer
authors.affiliation: Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul , Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul 90610-000, Brazil.|Centro de Biotecnologia, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul , Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul 91501-970, Brazil.|Instituto Nacional do Semiárido , Campina Grande, Paraı́ba 58429-970, Brazil.
authors.forename: Alexandre José
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Macedo
authors.affiliation: Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul , Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul 90610-000, Brazil.|Centro de Biotecnologia, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul , Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul 91501-970, Brazil.
authors.forename: Danielle Silva
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Trentin
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001419:Bacteria / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D018407:Bacterial Physiological Phenomena; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D001427:Bacterial Toxins / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D018441:Biofilms / Q000187:drug effects; D001688:Biological Products / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D010860:Pigments, Biological / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D010944:Plants / Q000737:chemistry; D053038:Quorum Sensing; D037521:Virulence Factors / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors*
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D001427:Bacterial Toxins; D001688:Biological Products; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors; D010860:Pigments, Biological; D037521:Virulence Factors