Drug candidates targeting multidrug resistance in cancer and infections
Résumé
Multidrug resistance (MDR) is the phenomenon by which prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells have developed resistance to drugs. The SARSCov-19 pandemic has spotlighted the lethal effect of MDR in the context
of nosocomial diseases. In this context, the MDR against anticancer
drugs and antibiotics are by far the most investigated areas. MDR finds
multiple origins including intracellular drug inactivation, biological
target alteration, activation of DNA repair mechanisms (in the case of
cancer) and drug expulsion from inside to outside the cells leading to
drug concentration below the active threshold. In the latter case, the
high expression of efflux proteins at the cell membrane plays a critical
role in the transport and pumping out of drugs.