Isolation and biological activity of natural chalcones based on antibacterial mechanism classification

Abstract

Bacterial infection, which is still one of the leading causes of death in humans, poses an enormous threat to the worldwide public health system. Antibiotics are the primary medications used to treat bacterial diseases. Currently, the discovery of antibiotics has reached an impasse, and due to the abuse of antibiotics resulting in bacterial antibiotic resistance, researchers have a critical desire to develop new antibacterial agents in order to combat the deteriorating antibacterial situation. Natural chalcones, the flavonoids consisting of two phenolic rings and a three-carbon α, β-unsaturated carbonyl system, possess a variety of biological and pharmacological properties, including anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and so on. Due to their potent antibacterial properties, natural chalcones possess the potential to become a new treatment for infectious diseases that circumvents existing antibiotic resistance. Currently, the majority of research on natural chalcones focuses on their synthesis, biological and pharmacological activities, etc. A few studies have been conducted on their antibacterial activity and mechanism. Therefore, this review focuses on the antibacterial activity and mechanisms of seventeen natural chalcones. Firstly, seventeen natural chalcones have been classified based on differences in antibacterial mechanisms. Secondly, a summary of the isolation and biological activity of seventeen natural chalcones was provided, with a focus on their antibacterial activity. Thirdly, the antibacterial mechanisms of natural chalcones were summarized, including those that act on bacterial cell membranes, biological macromolecules, biofilms, and quorum sensing systems. This review aims to lay the groundwork for the discovery of novel antibacterial agents based on chalcones.