Abstract
Isoquinoline alkaloid berberine is a typical multitarget or multicomponent molecule of botanical origin. It is extensively used for hundreds of years in the treatment of various infectious diseases and in traditional medicine. Numerous studies from academic institutions and pharma industry reported several pharmacological effects and efficacy of berberine in the treatment of inflammation, cancer, and diabetes. The plethora of beneficial activities rely on the existence of multiple mechanisms of its action, mainly related to cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. Considering its antifungal and antibacterial activities, berberine targets bacterial cell walls and cell membranes, as well as DNA and RNA. It disturbs membrane potential and rigidity by forming reactive oxygen species (ROS). The influence on protein expression is evident in affecting efflux pumps. Berberine also potentiates activity of several antibiotics and antifungal drugs, demonstrating synergistic antibacterial activity, and has detrimental effect on biofilm matrix of several pathogens, including multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria and yeasts. In this chapter, we focus on the antimicrobial effects of berberine and plausible mechanisms of actions involved, and give future perspective on the potential of berberine-based therapy.
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Abbreviations
- ALP:
-
Alkaline phosphatase
- ATCC:
-
American Type Culture Collection
- cAMP-PKA:
-
Cyclic adenosine monophosphate–dependent protein kinase
- CYP51:
-
Fungal sterol 14α-demethylase
- DNA:
-
Deoxyribonucleic acid
- ERG:
-
ETS (erythroblast transformation-specific)-related gene
- ESKAPE pathogens:
-
Enterococcus faecium, Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Acinetobacter baumannii, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Enterobacter species
- GPx:
-
Glutathione peroxidase
- GR:
-
Glutathione reductase
- GSH/GSSH:
-
Reduced glutathione/oxidized glutathione ratio
- HSF1:
-
Heat shock factor 1
- LC-MS/MS:
-
Liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry
- MAPK:
-
Mitogen-activated protein kinase
- MDR:
-
Multidrug resistant
- MIC:
-
Minimal inhibitory concentration
- MRSA:
-
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus
- MSSA:
-
Methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus
- NAcDG:
-
N-acetyl-D-glucosamine
- ROS:
-
Reactive oxygen species
- SEM:
-
Scanning electron microscopy
- SOD:
-
Superoxide dismutase
- TEM:
-
Transmission electron microscopy
- YPD:
-
Yeast extract–peptone–dextrose
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Kosalec, I., Jembrek, M.J., Vlainić, J. (2022). The Spectrum of Berberine Antibacterial and Antifungal Activities. In: Rai, M., Kosalec, I. (eds) Promising Antimicrobials from Natural Products. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-83504-0_7
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