FIGURE 3.

Cartoon representation of the challenges that should be crossed for garlic/garlic compounds to be used in the clinical setting as antibacterials. The road to developing garlic/garlic compounds into novel clinically relevant antibiotics is subject to crossing the barrier shown in the cartoon, which are as follows: (1) the development of new formulations that would improve the specificity, stability, and solubility of garlic organosulfur compounds; (2) to access the safety and bioavailability of organosulfur compounds by performing toxicology and pharmacokinetic studies with various compounds administered through different routes; (3) to avoid repetition and encourage in vivo studies, creation of a database to record the in vivo and in vitro antibacterial studies of garlic compounds alone and along with other antibiotics or phytochemicals; and (4) more pre-clinical and clinical studies should be performed to access the safety and efficacy of these compounds. Research in these areas will ensure the use of garlic-based novel antibacterials in the clinical setting.