Progress on reversal of activity of efflux pump in gram-negative resistance bacteria

Over-expression of efflux pumps is one of the mechanisms causing multidrug resistant bacteria.It is necessary to clearly decipher this transport system from the genetic,structural,and functional aspects in order to combat this poly-selective mechanism.By understanding how efflux pumps work,we may be able to find a new group of antibacterial agents,termed efflux reversals,including membrane permeabilisers,efflux pump inhibitors and flux-competitive agents,specific blockers,energy poisons,etc.Several chemical families of efflux pump inhibitors have been described and characterized.This new family of molecules represents the first antibacterial class of compound specifically targeting active transport in the bacterial cell. Key words: Efflux pump;  Inhibitor;  Multidrug resistance