Medicinal plant products targeting quorum sensing for combating bacterial infections

ABSTRACT

Traditional treatment of infectious diseases is based on compounds that aim to kill or inhibit bacterial growth. The bacterial resistance against antibiotics is a serious issue for public health. Today, new therapeutic targets other than the bacterial wall were deciphered. Quorum sensing or bacterial pheromones are molecules called auto-inducer secreted by bacteria to regulate some functions such as antibiotic resistance and biofilms formation. This therapeutic target is well-studied worldwide, nevertheless the scientific data are not updated and only recent researches started to look into its potential as a target to fight against infectious diseases. A major concern with this approach is the frequently observed development of resistance to antimicrobial compounds. Therefore, this paper aims to provide a current overview of the quorum sensing system in bacteria by revealing their implication in biofilms formation and the development of antibiotic resistance, and an update on their importance as a potential target for natural substances.