Medicinal plants: Bioactive compounds, biological activities, combating multidrug-resistant microorganisms, and human health benefits -A comprehensive review

Mohamed T. El-Saadony^1*Ahmed M Saad²Dr. Dina Mostafa Mohammed³Sameh A. Korma⁴Mohammad Y Alshahrani⁵Ahmed Ezzat Ahmed⁶Essam H Ibrahim⁶Heba Salem⁷Samar Sami Alkafaas⁸Abdullah M Saif⁸Sara Samy Elkafas⁹Mohamed A Fahmy¹Taia Ali Abd El Mageed¹⁰Mariam M Abady³Hanya Y Assal¹¹Marawan K El-Tarabily¹²Betty T Mathew¹³Synan F Abuqamar¹³Khaled A. El-Tarabily¹³Salam A. Ibrahim¹⁴

• ¹Department of Agricultural Microbiology, Faculty of Agriculture, Zagazig University, Zagazig, Egypt
• ²Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Agriculture, Zagazig University, Zagazig 44511, Egypt, Zagazig, Al Sharqia, Egypt
• ³Department of Nutrition and Food Sciences, National Research Centre (Egypt), Cairo, Beni Suef, Egypt
• ⁴Department of Food Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Zagazig University, Zagazig, Al Sharqia, Egypt
• ⁵Department of Clinical Laboratory Sciences, College of Applied Medical Science, King Khalid University, Abha, Saudi Arabia
• ⁶Department of Biology, College of Science, King Khalid University, Abha, Saudi Arabia
• ⁷Department of Poultry Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Cairo University, Giza, Giza, Egypt
• ⁸Division of Biochemistry, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Tanta University, Tanta, Gharbia, Egypt
• ⁹Department of Mechanical Design and Production Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Zagazig University, Zagazig, Al Sharqia, Egypt
• ¹⁰Faculty of Agriculture, Fayoum University, Fayoum, Faiyum, Egypt
• ¹¹Faculty of Biotechnology, October University for Modern Sciences and Arts, Giza, Cairo, Egypt
• ¹²Faculty of Medicine, University of Debrecen, Debrecen, Hungary
• ¹³United Arab Emirates University, Al-Ain, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
• ¹⁴Food Microbiology and Biotechnology Laboratory, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, Greensboro, North Carolina, United States

In recent years, medicinal plants have gained significant attention in modern medicine due to their accessibility, affordability, widespread acceptance, and safety, making herbal remedies highly valued globally. Consequently, ensuring medicinal plants' quality, efficacy, and safety has become a critical concern for developed and developing nations. The emergence of multidrug-resistant microorganisms poses a serious global health threat, particularly in lowincome regions, despite significant advancements in antimicrobial drugs and medical research over the past century. The rapid spread of these multidrug-resistant infections is primarily attributed to improper prescriptions, overuse, and unregulated access to antibiotics.Addressing these challenges, the standardization of plant-derived pharmaceuticals could pave the way for a transformative era in healthcare. Preserving and leveraging the historical knowledge of medicinal plants is essential before such valuable information is lost. Recently, there has been growing interest among natural and pharmaceutical scientists in exploring medicinal plants as potential sources of antimicrobial agents. This current review aims to identify the most common pathogens threatening human health, analyze the factors contributing to the rise of drug-resistant microorganisms, and evaluate the widespread use of medicinal plants across various countries as alternative antibiotics, highlighting their unique mechanisms of antimicrobial resistance.