Natural Products As Alternative Therapeutics Against Antimicrobial Resistance

Abstract Antimicrobial resistance is a critical global health challenge, driven by the misuse of antibiotics and the emergence of multidrug-resistant, extensively drug-resistant, and pan-drug-resistant pathogens. This review highlights natural products derived from plants, microorganisms, and marine organisms as structurally diverse bioactive compounds with potent antimicrobial activity and multiple mechanisms of action, making it difficult for pathogens to develop resistance. Major classes include alkaloids, flavonoids, terpenoids, phenolics, and saponins, which target bacterial membranes, nucleic acid and protein synthesis, efflux pumps, biofilm formation, and quorum sensing. Microbial and marine natural products also provide unique chemical scaffolds with therapeutic potential. This review further discusses challenges in standardization, toxicity, and large-scale production, while emphasizing advances in genomics, metabolomics, and synthetic biology that may accelerate development. Integrating these compounds into antimicrobial strategies offers promising avenues against resistant infections and antimicrobial resistance