Role of Plant Extracts to Control Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Tuberculosis (TB), especially the multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR) and extensively drug-resistant (XDR) forms, is a major global public health threat due to its complexity of treatment regimens as well as the widespread resistance to tuberculosis.The rise of MDR-TB, defined as resistance to isoniazid and rifampicin, was alarming, with over 580,000 new cases recorded in 2015 in regions like India and China.Although treatment for MDR, and to a greater degree XDR-TB, is protracted, often lasting over 20 months with severely toxic second-line drugs, cure rates are as low as 36% and failure rates as high as 50%.Plant extracts could be a feasible solution to combat M. tuberculosis, especially given the increasing drug resistance.Bioactive compounds such as alkaloids, flavonoids, terpenoids, and polyphenols have shown potential antimicrobial properties.The diversity in multi-modal actions of these plant-derived molecules, combined with their work to codeliver with current antibiotics, highlights their potential for use as stand-alone or allied treatments for tuberculosis.It seems that incorporation of plant extracts in therapeutic approaches, therefore, has the potential to increase treatment outcomes and lessen side effects as compared to synthetic drugs.Their potential is supported by data from animals and laboratory research.Certain plant chemicals also lessen the negative effects and increase the effectiveness of current TB medications.Their mechanisms, important substances, experimental results, and possibilities for the future are all covered.When combined with existing medicines, plant-based therapeutics may prove to be effective weapons in the fight against tuberculosis.