Inhibitors of bacterial efflux pumps that also inhibit efflux pumps of cancer cells.

Bacteria and cancer cells frequently increase their resistance to chemotherapeutics as a consequence of therapy. Whenever studied, refractory response to chemotherapy is due to the over-expression of efflux pumps that render the bacterium or cancer cell resistant not only to the agent used for therapy, but to many, if not all other agents as well. Control over the efflux pump that bestows multidrug resistance has been a goal of research during the past decade. As a consequence of this search for inhibitors of efflux pumps, it has been noted that many agents which affect the efflux pump system of bacteria also have similar activity against efflux pumps of drug-resistant cancer cells. This review aims to identify such agents.