Reinforcing the Arsenal: Advanced Antibiotic Adjuvants as Strategic Disruptors of Bacterial Defenses

Jiale Dong1, Dexu Zhang2, Shutao Ma1

  • 1Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Shandong Key Laboratory of Druggability Optimization and Evaluation for Lead Compounds, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan 250012, Shandong, P.R. China.

Insights

Antibiotic adjuvants are crucial for combating antimicrobial resistance. These compounds, at low concentrations, restore antibiotic effectiveness against resistant bacteria like E. coli and P. aeruginosa.

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Pharmacology
  • Public Health

Background:

  • Global antimicrobial resistance (AMR) crisis threatens public health and agriculture.
  • Multidrug-resistant pathogens like Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa are prevalent.
  • New antibiotic development is insufficient, necessitating alternative strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review recent advances in broad-spectrum antibiotic adjuvants.
  • To classify antibiotic adjuvants into five categories.
  • To propose a model for AI-assisted screening of adjuvants.

Main Methods:

  • Systematic review of recent literature on antibiotic adjuvants.
  • Classification of adjuvants based on their mechanisms and spectrum of activity.
  • Development of a 3D evaluation model for AI-assisted screening.

Main Results:

  • Adjuvants can restore or enhance antibiotic efficacy at subinhibitory concentrations.
  • Five categories of broad-spectrum antibiotic adjuvants were identified.
  • An AI-assisted screening model was proposed for adjuvant discovery.

Conclusions:

  • Antibiotic adjuvants are a vital strategy against AMR.
  • Adjuvants show promise for clinical and agricultural applications.
  • Cross-domain translation of adjuvants requires further research and development.

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