Exploring Bioactive Compounds in Anti-Microbial Herbs: Antifungal and Antibacterial Evaluation for Drug Discovery

Al-Darraji, Alaa H.; Allouche, Noureddine; Al-Fartusie, Falah S.

doi:10.21608/ejchem.2025.362030.11331

Exploring Bioactive Compounds in Anti-Microbial Herbs: Antifungal and Antibacterial Evaluation for Drug Discovery

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

¹ Department of Chemistry college of science

² Department of Chemistry, College of Science, University of Sfax, Tunisia.

³ Mustansiriyah University

10.21608/ejchem.2025.362030.11331

Abstract

Antimicrobial resistance became in the last two decades a global threat to public health systems in the world, therefore, there is a continuous movement to find new drugs to replace those that have been resisted by microbes, especially in the field of fungal and yeast drugs. There are known diseases associated with the growth of these organisms in human bodies. This study aimed to explore and evaluate the effectiveness of natural herbs as antimicrobial agents, with a focus on their potential as alternatives or complements to traditional drugs in light of the increasing microbial resistance to current treatments. Eleven herbs (Pomegranate peel, thyme, Lemongrass, Cinnamon, Coriander, Cumin, olive leaf, Licorice, Garlic, Apple vinegar, turmeric) with known antimicrobial properties were selected based on a historical heritage and they were examined using pathogenic creatures. The eleven herbs were prepared in the laboratory just as they are prepared in various societies as antimicrobial herbs.
The results revealed that four of the eleven herbs exhibited significant antimicrobial activity, in some cases surpassing the effectiveness of currently available drugs as fluconazole. The active compounds in these herbs were identified for finding a suitable explanation for the effectiveness of the different compounds in these four herbs, and they show promise for use either independently or with chemical modifications to enhance their efficacy.
Different compounds of four effective herbs were characterized using the Gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) apparatus. In addition, MIC (Minimum Inhibitory concentration) and MFC (Minimum fungicidal concentration) for them were done.

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