title: Finding Novel Antibiotic Substances from Medicinal Plants - Antimicrobial Properties ofNigella SativaDirected against Multidrug-resistant Bacteria.
abstract: The progressive rise in multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacterial strains poses serious problems in the treatment of infectious diseases. While the number of newly developed antimicrobial compounds has greatly fallen, the resistance of pathogens against commonly prescribed drugs is further increasing. This rise in resistance illustrates the need for developing novel therapeutic and preventive antimicrobial options. The medicinal herbNigella sativaand its derivatives constitute promising candidates. In a comprehensive literature survey (using the PubMed data base), we searched for publications on the antimicrobial effects ofN. sativaparticularly directed against MDR bacterial strains.In vitrostudies published between 2000 and 2015 revealed thatN. sativaexerted potent antibacterial effects against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative species including resistant strains. For instance,N. sativainhibited the growth of bacteria causing significant gastrointestinal morbidity such asSalmonella, Helicobacter pylori, andEscherichia coli. However,Listeria monocytogenesandPseudomonas aeruginosadisplayed resistance against black cumin seed extracts. In conclusion, our literature survey revealed potent antimicrobial properties ofN. sativaagainst MDR strainsin vitrothat should be further investigated in order to develop novel therapeutic perspectives for combating infectious diseases particularly caused by MDR strains.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Hygiene, Charité - University Medicine Berlin , Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Seher Nancy
authors.initials: SN
authors.lastname: Bakal
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Hygiene, Charité - University Medicine Berlin , Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Stefan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bereswill
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Hygiene, Charité - University Medicine Berlin , Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Markus M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Heimesaat
keywords: Nigella sativa; antimicrobial effects; herbal medicine; medicinal plants; multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria; phytotherapy