The emergence of multidrug-resistant bacteria and fungi requires the development of antibiotics and antifungal agents. This review identified natural products isolated from Asian angiosperms with antibacterial and/or antifungal activities and analyzed their distribution, molecular weights, solubility, and modes of action. All data in this review were compiled from Google Scholar, PubMed, Science Direct, Web of Science, ChemSpider, PubChem, and a library search from 1979 to 2022. One hundred and forty-one antibacterial and/or antifungal alkaloids were identified during this period, mainly from basal angiosperms. The most active alkaloids are mainly planar, amphiphilic, with a molecular mass between 200 and 400 g/mol, and a polar surface area of about 50 Ų, and target DNA and/or topoisomerase as well as the cytoplasmic membrane. 8-Acetylnorchelerythrine, cryptolepine, 8-hydroxydihydrochelerythrine, 6-methoxydihydrosanguinarine, 2′-nortiliacorinine, pendulamine A and B, rhetsisine, sampangine, tiliacorine, tryptanthrin, tylophorinine, vallesamine, and viroallosecurinine yielded MIC ≤ 1 µg/mL and are candidates for the development of lead molecules.

Fermented foods have been used over the centuries in various parts of the world. These foods are rich in nutrients and are produced naturally using various biological tools like bacteria and fungi. Fermentation of edible foods has been rooted in ancient cultures to keep food for preservation and storage for a long period of time with desired or enhanced nutritional values. Inflammatory diseases like rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, and chronic inflammatory pain are chronic disorders that are difficult to treat, and current treatments for these disorders fail due to various adverse effects of prescribed medications over a long period of time. Fermented foods containing probiotic bacteria and fungi can enhance the immune system, improve gastrointestinal health, and lower the risk of developing various inflammatory diseases. Foods prepared from vegetables by fermentation, like kimchi, sauerkraut, soy-based foods, or turmeric, lack proper clinical and translational experimental studies. The current review has focused on the effectiveness of various fermented foods or drinks used over centuries against inflammation, arthritis, and oxidative stress. We also described potential limitations on the efficacies or usages of these fermented products to provide an overarching picture of the research field.

This review identifies terpenes isolated from the medicinal Angiosperms of Asia and the Pacific with antibacterial and/or antifungal activities and analyses their distribution, molecular mass, solubility, and modes of action. All data in this review were compiled from Google Scholar, PubMed, Science Direct, Web of Science, ChemSpider, PubChem, and library searches from 1968 to 2022. About 300 antibacterial and/or antifungal terpenes were identified during this period. Terpenes with a MIC ≤ 2 µg/mL are mostly amphiphilic and active against Gram-positive bacteria, with a molecular mass ranging from about 150 to 550 g/mol, and a polar surface area around 20 Ų. Carvacrol, celastrol, cuminol, dysoxyhainic acid I, ent-1β,14β-diacetoxy-7α-hydroxykaur-16-en-15-one, ergosterol-5,8-endoperoxide, geranylgeraniol, gossypol, 16α-hydroxy-cleroda-3,13 (14)Z-diene-15,16-olide, 7-hydroxycadalene, 17-hydroxyjolkinolide B, (20R)-3β-hydroxy-24,25,26,27-tetranor-5α cycloartan-23,21-olide, mansonone F, (+)-6,6′-methoxygossypol, polygodial, pristimerin, terpinen-4-ol, and α-terpineol are chemical frameworks that could be candidates for the further development of lead antibacterial or antifungal drugs.

Aspergillus species consists of a group of opportunistic fungi that is virulent when the immunity of the host is compromised. Among the various species, Aspergillus fumigatus is the most prevalent species. However, the prevalence of fungal infections caused by non-fumigatus Aspergillus has been increasing. Polyenes, echinocandins and azoles are the three main classes of antifungal agents being used for the treatment of aspergillosis. Nevertheless, the incidence of resistance towards these three classes has been rising over the years among several Aspergillus spp. The side effects associated with these conventional antifungal agents have also limited their usage. This urges the need for the discovery of a safe and effective antifungal agent, which presents a major challenge in medicine today. Plants present a rich source of bioactive molecules which have been proven effective against a wide range of infections and conditions. Therefore, this present review intends to examine the current literature available regarding the efficacy and mechanism of action of plant extracts and their compounds against Aspergillus spp. In addition, novel drug delivery systems of plant extracts against Aspergillus spp. were also included in this review.

Background: Scientific literature has demonstrated the association of free radicals in the aetiology of various chronic diseases. Hence, the identification of potent antioxidants remains a useful task. The combination of multiple herbs in polyherbal formulations (PHF) is often associated with greater therapeutic efficacy due to synergistic interactions. However, antagonism can occur in natural product mixtures and the resultant antioxidant potential might not always be the additive value of the antioxidant properties of each component. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the phytochemicals, antioxidative potential and interaction among the herbs in TC-16, a new PHF comprising Curcuma longa L., Zingiber officinale var. Bentong, Piper nigrum L., Citrofortunella microcarpa (Bunge) Wijnands and Apis dorsata honey. Methods: TC-16 was screened for phytochemicals. Phenolic and flavonoid contents of TC-16 and its individual ingredients were determined, followed by assessment of antioxidant properties using in vitro assays including 2,2’-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonate) (ABTS), 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) and β-carotene bleaching (BCB) assays. Interactions among the herbs were also investigated by calculating the difference in antioxidant activity and combination index. Results: Alkaloids, flavonoids, terpenoids, saponins and glycosides were present in TC-16. TC-16 possessed the highest phenolic (46.14 ± 1.40 mg GAE/g) and flavonoid (132.69 ± 1.43 mg CE/g) contents following C. longa. Synergistic antioxidant activity among the herbs was evident in ORAC and BCB assays which uses mainly hydrogen atom transfer-based antioxidant mechanisms. Conclusions: TC-16 demonstrated roles in combating free radicals. In a PHF, synergistic interaction among the herbs is observed in some but not all mechanisms. Mechanisms showing synergistic interactions should be highlighted to maximise the beneficial property of the PHF.

A series of novel macroacyclic Schiff base ligands and their Cu (II) complexes were synthesised via reacting dicarbonyls of varying chain lengths with S-methyl dithiocarbazate (SMDTC) and S-benzyl dithiocarbazate (SBDTC) followed by coordination with Cu (II) ions. X-ray crystal structures were obtained for compound 4, an SBDTC-diacetyl analogue, and Cu7, an SMDTC-hexanedione Cu (II) complex. Anticancer evaluation of the compounds showed that Cu1, an SMDTC-glyoxal complex, demonstrated the highest cytotoxic activity against MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells with IC₅₀ values of 1.7 µM and 1.4 µM, respectively. There was no clear pattern observed between the effect of chain length and cytotoxic activity; however, SMDTC-derived analogues were more active than SBDTC-derived analogues against MDA-MB-231 cells. The antibacterial assay showed that K. rhizophila was the most susceptible bacteria to the compounds, followed by S. aureus. Compound 4 and the SMDTC-derived analogues 3, 5, Cu7 and Cu9 possessed the highest antibacterial activity. These active analogues were further assessed, whereby 3 possessed the highest antibacterial activity with an MIC of <24.4 µg/mL against K. rhizophila and S. aureus. Further antibacterial studies showed that at least compounds 4 and 5 were bactericidal. Thus, Cu1 and 3 were the most promising anticancer and antibacterial agents, respectively.