History as a Source of Innovation in Antimicrobial Drug Discovery

Abstract

The proliferation and prevalence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria despite modern medicine is considered as one of the most alarming threats to global health. The fear that antibiotics that work today might not work tomorrow makes it imperative to search and develop novel drugs or therapeutic strategies to fight against micro-organisms resistant to our current approaches. From many centuries, people have sought solutions to combat infections and proposed countless remedies, traces of which can be found in manuscripts preserved over the past centuries. The re-examination and exploitation of these ancient remedies might be a key to a vast pool of potential therapeutic strategies or drug candidates against antibiotic-resistant pathogens. This, however, would first require the consideration of these ancient solutions as scientifically pertinent leads for new therapies. The aim of this review is to highlight arguments in favor of a rationality in the scientific approach of these past physicians as well as of a medicinal interest in studying these ancient pharmacopeias. To narrow the scope of our research, we focused on the Arab Medieval Golden Medical Age, which inspired occidental medicine hundreds of years after its preeminence. We further highlight the possibility of integrating this knowledge into innovative, modern therapeutic approaches.