Antibacterial Activity and Antifungal Activity of Monomeric Alkaloids.

Scientists are becoming alarmed by the rise in drug-resistant bacterial and fungal strains, which makes it more costly, time-consuming, and difficult to create new antimicrobials from unique chemical entities. Chemicals with pharmacological qualities, such as antibacterial and antifungal elements, can be found in plants. Alkaloids are a class of chemical compounds found in nature that mostly consist of basic nitrogen atoms. Biomedical science relies heavily on alkaloid compounds. Based on 241 papers published in peer-reviewed scientific publications within the last ten years (2014-2024), we examined 248 natural or synthesized monomeric alkaloids that have antifungal and antibacterial activity against Gram-positive and Gram-negative microorganisms. Based on their chemical structure, the chosen alkaloids were divided into four groups: polyamine alkaloids, alkaloids with nitrogen in the side chain, alkaloids with nitrogen heterocycles, and pseudoalkaloids. With MIC values of less than 1 µg/mL, compounds , , , -, , , , , and shown strong antibacterial activity. However, with MIC values of below 1 µg/mL, compounds , , , , , and demonstrated strong antifungal activity. Given the rise in antibiotic resistance, these alkaloids are highly significant in regard to their potential to create novel antimicrobial drugs.