Medicinal Plants and Lichen-Derived Natural Products in Microbial Communication and Virulence Modulation

Plants, lichens, and fungi from traditional and natural-product sources are increasingly studied not only for direct antimicrobial effects, but for how their metabolites reshape microbial behaviour, quorum sensing, biofilm formation, and virulence regulation and, through these, microbial persistence and adaptive responses. This Research Topic brings together ethnopharmacological, chemical, and biological approaches to natural-product-derived modulators of microbial communication, with attention to biological activity, mechanism of action, and, where relevant, ethnopharmacological context.Medicinal plants of traditional use remain central, underpinned by rigorous botanical authentication and chemical characterisation of extracts, fractions, and isolated compounds. Alongside them, we deliberately widen the source space to two underexplored groups of organisms: lichens and fungi. Lichen- and fungal-derived metabolites are of growing interest for their antimicrobial properties and their capacity to modulate microbial communication, biofilm dynamics, and virulence-associated pathways. Because many of these organisms have limited traditional-use records, we welcome contributions grounded in chemistry and pharmacology even where ethnopharmacological documentation is limited, while still meeting the collection’s standards for material authentication and characterisation.Papers of interest include, but are not limited to:• Ethnopharmacological documentation integrated with phytochemical/analytical characterisation of plant materials, lichen and fungal products, extracts, and isolated bioactive compounds• Experimental studies of antimicrobial, antiparasitic, anti-biofilm, or anti-quorum-sensing activity in relation to virulence and persistence, with cytotoxicity controls to confirm specificity• Mechanistic investigations of molecular targets, signalling pathways, and host–pathogen interactions linked to microbial communication, confirmed experimentally (in-silico/network or docking analyses only when validated by benchwork)• Studies of multi-component preparations and formulations, with stated composition and ratios, and their effects on microbial behaviour• In vitro and in vivo models assessing these processes, alongside safety evaluations such as toxicity and dose–response relationships• Critical and systematic reviews on microbial communication and plant-, lichen-, and fungal-derived modulatorsTo support reproducibility and quality across the collection, authors are required to follow the Four Pillars of Best Practice in Ethnopharmacology https://www.frontiersin.org/files/pdf/4_pillars_FULL_TEXT.pdf and the ConPhyMP consensus guidelines for the phytochemical characterisation of medicinal plant extracts https://ga-online.org/best-practice/ These frameworks set the standard for botanical authentication, voucher deposition, extract characterisation, and pharmacological reporting. Studies that connect provenance with experimental data and apply appropriate analytical methods for the material under investigation are particularly encouraged.Ultimately, this Research Topic brings together ethnopharmacological, chemical, and biological approaches to plant-, lichen-, and fungal-derived modulators of microbial behaviour, providing a rigorous, reproducible framework for further investigation. Topic editors: PEREIRA, E. C., Thilivhali Emmanuel Tshikalange Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/83551/medicinal-plants-and-lichen-derived-natural-products-in-microbial-communication-and-virulence-modulation