Plant-derived quinones as a source of antibacterial and anticancer agents

Abstract

With increasing disadvantages of conventional drugs like toxicity and emergence of multidrug resistance in microbes and cancer, the use and practise of alternative medicine derived from plant source have been increased. Plant-based phytochemicals have gained much importance in this regard, owing to their multifunctionality and non-toxicity. Phytochemicals are in use for the welfare of humans since time immemorial, as food preservatives, flavouring agents, dietary supplements and herbal medicines for fighting diseases. These compounds are produced predominantly by plants as secondary metabolites with no direct influence on plant growth and development but are essential components of plant defence mechanism. Plant-based chemotherapeutics unlike conventional synthetic drugs are cost effective and non-toxic and are known to exert multiple mechanisms of action which helps in modulating and preventing the development of multidrug resistance. Amongst them, several compounds belonging to the class of quinone have been shown to possess potential antimicrobial capabilities against a wide spectrum of bacteria, fungi and parasites as well as anticancer activities in both in vitro and in vivo conditions. In this chapter, important known quinone compounds and their derivatives with significant antimicrobial and anticancer activity are discussed in detail.