Abstrato

Garlic: A natural shield against detrimental effect of microorganisms.

Atif Liaqat, Muhammad Farhan Jahangir Chughtai, Kanza Saeed, Adnan Khaliq, Tariq Mehmood, Samreen Ahsan, Rabia Iqbal

Garlic has a greater antimicrobial potential than other members of its family, due to its diverse profile of antimicrobial compounds, among which the most renowned are allicin, diallyl polysulfides and ajoenes. A unique Sulphur based compound allicin, found most abundantly in raw garlic. Exhibits antimicrobial potential and has been found equally effective against both gram-positive as well as, gram-negative bacteria. Allicin has the potential to hinder the bacterial biofilm formation, which is the leading cause of microbial resistance against antibiotic treatment leading chronic infections. Allicin eradicate biofilms by disrupting quorum sensing in microorganisms. Other bioactive compounds also exhibit similar inhibitory effects on microorganisms. These biological characteristics of garlic and garlic derived bioactive compounds can be used to intensify the effects of existing drugs and can also be used for the treatment of infections. In this review, we will summarize the effects of these bioactive compounds on pathogenic microorganism.