Multidrug Resistance (MDR): A Widespread Phenomenon in Pharmacological Therapies

Abstract

Multidrug resistance is a leading concern in public health. It describes a complex phenotype whose predominant feature is resistance to a wide range of structurally unrelated cytotoxic compounds, many of which are anticancer agents. Multidrug resistance may be also related to antimicrobial drugs, and is known to be one of the most serious global public health threats of this century. Indeed, this phenomenon has increased both mortality and morbidity as a consequence of treatment failures and its incidence in healthcare costs. The large amounts of antibiotics used in human therapies, as well as for farm animals and even for fishes in aquaculture, resulted in the selection of pathogenic bacteria resistant to multiple drugs. It is not negligible that the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic may further contribute to antimicrobial resistance. In this paper, multidrug resistance and antimicrobial resistance are underlined, focusing on the therapeutic options to overcome these obstacles in drug treatments. Lastly, some recent studies on nanodrug delivery systems have been reviewed since they may represent a significant approach for overcoming resistance.

A Review on the Antimicrobial Activity of Schiff Bases: Data Collection and Recent Studies

“…In recent years, the phenomenon of antibiotic resistance in hospitals, communities and environment has increasingly grown. It is known that the overuse of antibiotics has led to an increase in bacterial resistance [ 30 ] and, in turn, to decreasing efficiency of the rare available antibiotics [ 31 , 32 ]. It is noteworthy that, also in this case, the complexation of SBs with metals generally leads to enhanced antibacterial and antifungal effects in comparison with free SBs [ 33 , 34 , 35 ].…”

COVID-19 at a Glance: An Up-to-Date Overview on Variants, Drug Design and Therapies

“…The COVID-19 pandemic is considered the largest methanol mass poisoning event around the world in recent decades [ 33 ]. Finally, because of the high antibiotic use in COVID-19 patients, there has been a rapid increase in antimicrobial resistance [ 34 , 35 , 36 ], which poses collateral damage in the COVID-19 pandemic. Overall, this review aims to provide a quick update of the drugs, vaccines, and therapeutic treatments used today for this devastating disease.…”

Triclosan: A Small Molecule with Controversial Roles

“…The production rates have increased since the outbreak of the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) [ 19 ] due to the high demand for disinfection [ 20 , 21 ]. The injudicious use of disinfectants, including TCS, may promote the development of antimicrobial resistance [ 22 , 23 ], potentially the most far-ranging global health challenge following the COVID-19 pandemic [ 24 ]. TCS was also found in food, such as tuna from Indonesia, Nile perch from Lake Victoria, farmed pangasius and shrimp from Asia, mackerel from Spain, plaice, mackerel and mussels from The Netherlands, and mussels from the North Sea and the Mediterranean Sea.…”