Bioprospecting Wild Plants for Novel Antimicrobial Compounds with Pharmaceutical and Agricultural Value

The growing crisis of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in both human medicine and agriculture necessitates the urgent discovery of new antimicrobial agents. Plants represent one of the richest sources of bioactive compounds, many of which have yet to be fully characterized. Wild plants, in particular, exhibit a unique reservoir of phytochemicals shaped by evolutionary adaptation to diverse ecological pressures such as herbivory, microbial invasion, and abiotic stress. These compounds often exhibit potent antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, and antiparasitic activities. Bioprospecting wild flora offers a dual opportunity: addressing the urgent need for new therapeutics in human and veterinary medicine, and providing natural alternatives to chemical pesticides in agriculture. This review synthesizes recent advances in the exploration of wild plants for antimicrobial discovery, highlights key classes of phytochemicals (alkaloids, flavonoids, terpenoids, phenolics, and peptides), discusses methodologies in bioprospecting including ethnobotany, metabolomics, and molecular docking, and examines translational pathways from discovery to commercialization. Finally, it outlines challenges and future directions in ensuring sustainable, ethical, and innovative utilization of wild plant biodiversity for antimicrobial development.