Foxx Walz
Grand Canyon University
Within the last century, medicinal practices have introduced antibiotic medications to treat bacterial infections in humans. It has been assumed that the excessive prescription of antibiotic medicines has produced antibacterial-resistant pathogenic bacterial populations. The growing concern about antibiotic- resistant bacteria has focused research efforts on naturally occurring phytochemicals. In addition to the traditional use of phytochemicals for antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects, these compounds have also been found to exhibit bacteriostatic and bactericidal properties. Research has revealed groups of bioactive compounds, termed secondary metabolites, that protect plants against environmental pathogens like herbivores, fungi, and bacteria. Groups of secondary metabolites have been found to inhibit bacterial growth, proving potential use as antibiotic medicines for humans in response to antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Secondary metabolites like alkaloids and groups of phenolic compounds, including flavonoids, have been isolated and tested for antibiotic properties in vitro. While phytochemicals individually display successful bacterial inhibition, combination therapies using secondary metabolites with currently distributed antibiotics seem to have synergistic bactericidal effects worth further research. The creosote bush (Larrea tridentata) is one plant that contains secondary metabolites that may serve as future antibiotic medicine for humans. Further development into the isolation of bioactive compounds can offer novel treatments for antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections in humans.