Antibiotic adjuvants – A strategy to unlock bacterial resistance to antibiotics

• Published in: Bioorganic & medicinal chemistry letters Vol. 27; no. 18; pp. 4221 - 4228
• Main Author: González-Bello, Concepción
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier Ltd 15.09.2017
• Subjects: Animals; Anti-Bacterial Agents - chemistry; Anti-Bacterial Agents - pharmacology; Antibiotic potentiators; Bacteria - drug effects; Drug Resistance, Bacterial - drug effects; Efflux pump inhibitors; ESKAPE pathogens; Humans; Microbial Sensitivity Tests; Molecular Structure; Permeabilizers; Resistance breakers; Structure-Activity Relationship; β-Lactamase inhibitors; NDCUAPJVLWFHHB-UHNVWZDZSA-N; ESKAPE pathogens; Efflux pump inhibitors; Antibiotic potentiators; β-Lactamase inhibitors; Resistance breakers; Permeabilizers
• ISSN: 0960-894X; 1464-3405; 1464-3405
• DOI: 10.1016/j.bmcl.2017.08.027

[Display omitted] Resistance to available antibiotics in pathogenic bacteria is currently a global challenge since the number of strains that are resistant to multiple types of antibiotics has increased dramatically each year and has spread worldwide. To unlock this problem, the use of an ‘antibiotic adjuvant’ in combination with an antibiotic is now being exploited. This approach enables us to prolong the lifespan of these life-saving drugs. This digests review provides an overview of the main types of antibiotic adjuvants, the basis of their operation and the remaining issues to be tackled in this field. Particular emphasis is placed on those compounds that are already in clinical development, namely β-lactamase inhibitors.