Multicomponent therapy combining antibiotics with enhancer molecules known as adjuvants is an emerging strategy to combat antimicrobial resistance. Niclosamide is a clinically relevant anthelmintic drug with potential to be repurposed for its inherent antibacterial activity against Gram-positive bacteria and its ability to potentiate the antibacterial activity of colistin against susceptible and resistant Gram-negative bacteria. Herein, sulfonamide analogs of niclosamide were prepared and found to enhance colistin activity against Gram-negative bacteria. The ability of niclosamide and the new sulfonamide analogs to synergize with bacitracin against vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium was also discovered.
Keywords: antibiotic adjuvant; colistin resistance, bacitracin; niclosamide; polymyxin.
© 2024 Wiley‐VCH GmbH.