Exploring potential natural plant-based antifungal agents in Sri Lanka: A comprehensive review

Recent advances in antifungal drug discovery have prompted a closer inspection of the biology of fungi and the ways in which they adapt to their growing environment. Understanding these findings presents a challenge: developing antifungal agents that can withstand resistance from fungi and effectively combat it. The use of plant-based antifungal agents is gaining momentum within the antifungal drug industry. This review aims to examine the potential to propel current findings on the antifungal activity of selected medicinal plant extracts found in Sri Lanka towards their potential candidacy as novel antifungals. The benefits and adverse effects of fungi are discussed, along with an overview of synthetic and natural antifungal agents. It delves into the modes of action of antifungal agents and the ways in which they encounter resistance from fungi. The review also highlights the classes of phytochemicals in these plant extracts and the mechanisms through which they exhibit antifungal abilities. Furthermore, it summarizes the capability of natural antifungal agents to enhance the antifungal activity of synthetic antifungal drugs through possible synergistic actions. Finally, the barriers to bringing these plant-based antifungal agents to the forefront of the antifungal drug development industry, along with a few suggestions to overcome them, are considered.