Leveraging phytochemicals: The plant phylogeny predicts sources of novel antibacterial compounds

Abstract

Aim: The goal of this study was to use phylogenetic evidence to determine plant families with high representation of antibacterial activity and identify potential sources to focus on for antibacterial drug discovery. Materials & methods: We reconstructed the molecular phylogeny of plant taxa with antibacterial activity and mapped antibacterial mechanisms of action on the phylogeny. Results: The phylogeny highlighted seven plant families (Combretaceae, Cupressaceae, Fabaceae, Lamiaceae, Lauraceae, Myrtaceae and Zingiberaceae) with disproportionately represented antibacterial activity. Phytochemicals produced were primarily involved in the disruption of the bacterial cell wall/membrane and inhibition of quorum sensing/biofilm production. Conclusion: The study provides phylogenetic evidence of seven plant families that should be examined as promising leads for novel antibacterial development. Lay abstract: Antibiotic resistance is a growing worldwide problem. However, discovery and development of new antibacterial compounds are currently lacking. For this study, we examined published literature to identify plant groups that disproportionately produce antibacterial compounds. Additionally, we examined the evolutionary basis for these chemicals by determining relatedness of antibacterial-producing plants and their common antibacterial mode of action due to shared ancestry. This study has increased our understanding of plants with inherent antibacterial properties and plant families to target in antibiotic drug discovery studies.