Efflux-mediated Multidrug Resistance in Critical Gram-negative Bacteria and Natural Efflux Pump Inhibitors

Abstract

Multidrug Resistance mechanisms in microorganisms confer the slackness of the existing drugs, leading to added difficulty in treating infections. As a consequence, efficient novel drugs and innovative therapies to treat MDR infections are necessarily required. One of the primary contributors to the emergence of multidrug resistance in gram-negative bacteria has been identified as the efflux pumps. These transporter efflux pumps reduce the intracellular concentration of antibiotics and aid bacterial survival in suboptimal low antibiotic concentration environments that may cause treatment failure. The reversal of this resistance via inhibition of the efflux mechanism is a promising method for increasing the effectiveness of antibiotics against multidrug-resistant pathogens. Such EPI, in combination with antibiotics, can make it easier to reintroduce traditional antibiotics into clinical practice. This review mostly examines efflux-mediated multidrug resistance in critical gram-negative bacterial pathogens and EPI of plant origin that have been reported over previous decades.

Keywords: Combination therapies; Gram negative bacteria; Multidrug-resistance [MDR]; Natural Efflux pump inhibitors [EPI].; efflux pumps.