A Review on Efflux Pump Inhibitors of Gram-Positive and Gram-Negative Bacteria from Plant Sources

Abstract

Antibiotic resistance has become a major clinical problem today. Multidrug resistance efflux pumps are an important cause of antibiotic resistance in bacteria. Large number of efflux pumps has been characterized so far. These pumps are responsible for the intrinsic resistance of bacteria to antibiotics. Lots of putative EPIs, both chemically and plant derived have been discovered till date against many important bacteria. Initially discovered EPIs have a drawback that they are toxic at the concentrations required for their EPI activity. Some plant extracts also are found to have the potential for containing such compounds based on their very significant synergistic activity with the antibiotics. Many of these EPIs are well studied about their action on the specific pumps and the drug so effluxes. Some of the EPIs are broad spectrum while some narrow-spectrum acting only against one drug, EP family. Research still continues in this direction with an endeavour to hunt a novel, potent, broad-spectrum and promising inhibitor in every way.