Antimicrobial Properties on Non-Antibiotic Drugs in the Era of Increased Bacterial Resistance

Abstract

In recent years, due to the dramatic increase in and global spread of bacterial resistance to a number of commonly used antibacterial agents, many studies have been directed at investigating drugs whose primary therapeutic purpose is not antimicrobial action. In an era where it is becoming increasingly difficult to find new antimicrobial drugs, it is important to understand these antimicrobial effects and their potential clinical implications. Numerous studies report the antibacterial activity of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, local anaesthetics, phenothiazines such as chlorpromazine, levomepromazine, promethazine, trifluoperazine, methdilazine and thioridazine, antidepressants, antiplatelets and statins. Several studies have explored a possible protective effect of statins inreducing the morbidity and mortality of many infectious diseases. Various non-antibiotic agents exhibit antimicrobial activity via multiple and different mechanisms of action. Further studies are required in the field to further investigate these antimicrobial properties in different populations. This is of paramount importance in the antimicrobial resistance era, where clinicians have limited therapeutic options to combat problematic infections.

Keywords: NSAIDs; antidepressants; antihistamines; antimicrobial agents; bacteria; non antibiotics; opioids; statins.