Title:Design and Discovery of New Antibacterial Agents: Advances, Perspectives, Challenges
Volume: 25
Issue: 38
Author(s): Josef Jampilek*
Affiliation:
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Comenius University, Odbojarov 10, 83232 Bratislava,Slovakia
Keywords:
Antibacterial chemotherapeutics, clinical trials, design and development, efflux pump inhibitors, resistance,
small molecules, synergistic effect.
Abstract: Background: Emerging resistance of bacterial pathogens to clinically used drugs, including
not only first-choice but also second- and third-choice drugs, is alarming, but since the 1990s only a
modest number of new, first in class, drugs for systemic administration have been marketed for the
treatment of bacterial infections.
Objective: This article provides a review of recently reported new antibacterial chemotherapeutics approved
for clinical practice, antibacterial chemotherapeutics in clinical trials and antibacterial agents
under development.
Discussion: Antibacterial agents include new antibacterial compounds of used drug classes and new
antibacterial agents with a novel mode of action. In addition, particular attention is given to agents decreasing
bacterial resistance, i.e. to compounds that do not have significant intrinsic bacteriostatic or
bactericidal activity, but in combination with antibacterial drugs are able to restore the effect of these
drugs or demonstrate synergistic antibacterial properties together with the drugs.
Conclusion: This review is specifically focused on small molecules rather than on peptides and discusses
a wide range of various molecular scaffolds.
