Pseudomonas aeruginosa: targeting cell-wall metabolism for new antibacterial discovery and development

• Published in: Future medicinal chemistry Vol. 8; no. 9; pp. 975 - 992
• Main Authors: Lamers, Ryan P, Burrows, Lori L
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England 01.06.2016
• Subjects: Anti-Bacterial Agents - chemical synthesis; Anti-Bacterial Agents - chemistry; Anti-Bacterial Agents - pharmacology; Cell Wall - drug effects; Cell Wall - metabolism; Drug Discovery; Microbial Sensitivity Tests; Pseudomonas aeruginosa - cytology; Pseudomonas aeruginosa - drug effects; Pseudomonas aeruginosa - metabolism; Pseudomonas Infections - drug therapy; Pseudomonas Infections - microbiology; β-lactam antibiotics; cell-wall metabolism; opportunistic pathogen; biofilm; combination therapy; antibiotic adjuvant; AmpC β-lactamase
• ISSN: 1756-8919; 1756-8927
• DOI: 10.4155/fmc-2016-0017

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a leading cause of hospital-acquired infections and is resistant to most antibiotics. With therapeutic options against P. aeruginosa dwindling, and the lack of new antibiotics in advanced developmental stages, strategies for preserving the effectiveness of current antibiotics are urgently required. β-Lactam antibiotics are important agents for treating P. aeruginosa infections, thus, adjuvants that potentiate the activity of these compounds are desirable for extending their lifespan while new antibiotics - or antibiotic classes - are discovered and developed. In this review, we discuss recent research that has identified exploitable targets of cell-wall metabolism for the design and development of compounds that hinder resistance and potentiate the activity of antipseudomonal β-lactams.