Progress of Antimicrobial Mechanisms of Stilbenoids

Abstract

Antimicrobial drugs have made outstanding contributions to the treatment of pathogenic infections. However, the emergence of drug resistance continues to be a major threat to human health in recent years, and therefore, the search for novel antimicrobial drugs is particularly urgent. With a deeper understanding of microbial habits and drug resistance mechanisms, various creative strategies for the development of novel antibiotics have been proposed. Stilbenoids, characterized by a C₆-C₂-C₆ carbon skeleton, have recently been widely recognized for their flexible antimicrobial roles. Here, we comprehensively summarize the mode of action of stilbenoids from the viewpoint of their direct antimicrobial properties, antibiofilm and antivirulence activities and their role in reversing drug resistance. This review will provide an important reference for the future development and research into the mechanisms of stilbenoids as antimicrobial agents.

Keywords: antibiofilm; antimicrobial mechanisms; antivirulence; conventional targets; reversing drug resistance; stilbenoids.

Figure 1

Skeleton characteristics and representatives of three kinds of stilbenoids. Stilbenoids can be divided into three categories according to their chemical structure, including stilbene, bibenzyl and phenanthrenoid.

Figure 2

Overview of the antimicrobial mechanisms of stilbenoids. The red arrow represents activation. The red T represents inhibition. The red cross means the reaction is blocked.