Combinations of Antibiotics and Nonantibiotic Drugs Enhance Antimicrobial Efficacy

Overview

Journal Nat Chem Biol

Specialties Biochemistry
Biology
Chemistry

Date 2011 Apr 26

PMID 21516114

Citations 217

Authors

Linda Ejim

Maya A Farha

Shannon B Falconer

Jan Wildenhain

Brian K Coombes

Mike Tyers

Eric D Brown

Gerard D Wright

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Combinations of antibiotics are commonly used in medicine to broaden antimicrobial spectrum and generate synergistic effects. Alternatively, combination of nonantibiotic drugs with antibiotics offers an opportunity to sample a previously untapped expanse of bioactive chemical space. We screened a collection of drugs to identify compounds that augment the activity of the antibiotic minocycline. Unexpected synergistic drug combinations exhibited in vitro and in vivo activity against bacterial pathogens, including multidrug-resistant isolates.

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