Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40867625›Full record

ReviewBiomolecules2025

Reconstructing the Antibiotic Pipeline: Natural Alternatives to Antibacterial Agents.

Chiemerie T Ekwueme, Ifeoma V Anyiam, David C Ekwueme, Christian K Anumudu, Helen Onyeaka

Abstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in Biomolecules, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 10 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
10citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

10 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Review
  3. Giving Antibiotics a Second Chance: Evolutionary Trade-Offs and Phage-Driven Restoration of Antibiotic Susceptibility.BioDrugs : clinical immunotherapeutics, biopharmaceuticals and gene therapy · 2026
    Review
  4. Review
  5. Article
  6. Pharmaceutics · 2026
    Article
  7. Microorganisms · 2026
    Article
  8. Article
  9. Article
  10. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Chiemerie T EkwuemeSchool of Health and Life Sciences, Teesside University, Middlesborough TS1 3BX, UK.ORCID 0009-0009-9871-475X
Ifeoma V AnyiamDepartment of Microbiology, Faculty of Science, Federal University Otuoke, Otuoke 562103, BY, Nigeria.
David C EkwuemeSchool of Health and Life Sciences, Teesside University, Middlesborough TS1 3BX, UK.
Christian K AnumuduDepartment of Microbiology, Faculty of Science, Federal University Otuoke, Otuoke 562103, BY, Nigeria.ORCID 0000-0003-2374-0178
Helen OnyeakaSchool of Chemical Engineering, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston B15 2TT, UK.ORCID 0000-0003-3846-847X

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The discovery of penicillin led to remarkable progress in the treatment of diseases and far-reaching advancements in novel antibiotics' development and use. However, the uncontrolled use and abuse of antibiotics in subsequent years have led to the emergence of the antimicrobial resistance (AMR) crisis, which now threatens modern medicine. There is an increasing number of emerging and reemerging infectious diseases, which have worsened the state of AMR and pose a serious threat to global health. The World Health Organization (WHO) reports the inadequacy of the drug development pipeline to meet the needs of the pharmaceutical sector in the face of AMR, and this poses a significant challenge in the treatment of diseases. Natural products (NPs) represent a promising group of antibiotic alternatives that can potentially mitigate AMR, as they bypass the pharmacodynamics of traditional antibiotics, thereby making them immune to the mechanisms of AMR. NPs, including plant derivatives, bacteriophages, metals, antimicrobial peptides, enzymes, and immune modulators, as monotherapies or in synergism with existing antibiotics, are gaining attention in a bid to reconstruct the antibiotic pipeline. Harnessing these as antimicrobial agents to curb AMR can help to provide sufficient defence against these infectious pathogens. The current review provides a comprehensive overview of the state of AMR and the potential of the above-mentioned antibiotic alternatives. Additionally, we discuss progress made and research breakthroughs in the application of these alternative therapies in humans, exploring findings from clinical trials and experimental models. The review further evaluates the advancement in technology, interdisciplinary approaches to the formulation and utilisation of NPs, and collaborations in alternative drug development. The research gaps present in this ever-evolving field are highlighted and evaluated together with regulatory issues, safety concerns, and technical difficulties in implementation.

Indexed as

Anti-Bacterial AgentsBiological ProductsAnimalsDrug DiscoveryDrug Resistance, BacterialHumansAnti-Bacterial AgentsBiological Productsantibacterial pipelineantimicrobial resistancedrug discoverynatural alternativesnatural products

Identifiers

PMID40867625
PMCPMC12385104

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.