Antimicrobial activity of saponin-containing plants: review

Abstract

The resistance of pathogenic microorganisms to antibiotics has become a "scourge" of the medical field in recent decades. In this regard, the vector of medical research rightly changed in favor of the search for natural mechanisms to fight pathogens. Nature has produced mechanisms for maintaining balance for millions of years, so it is reasonable to investigate and, in the future, use such mechanisms. This current study reviews and analyzes the last five years of research on the effects of saponin-containing plants on the most common pathogens. The analysis of literary data confirms the growing interest in natural antimicrobial drugs that are currently used in folk medicine or have the prospect of use in humane medicine in different countries of the world. Wide interest of the scientific community in the search for alternative antimicrobial agents, which would make it possible to overcome antibiotic resistance in the treatment of various types of diseases, has been revealed. Current scientific research has confirmed or disproved the effectiveness of only a thousandth part of all possible plants. Undoubtedly, the use of natural plant components will make it possible to make the treatment process cheaper and more effective, so this direction of research is currently very promising from all points of view.