Characterization of the Synergistic Antibacterial Effect of Verapamil on Bacterial Isolates From Cancer Patients
Starting soon
Conditions studied: Multi Drug Resistant Organisms, Antibiotic Resistance
In brief
Multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria represent a significant global health challenge, particularly among immunocompromised populations such as cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. These patients are highly susceptible to severe infections due to weakened immune defenses, often necessitating the use of broad-spectrum or combination antibiotic therapy. Combination regimens may enhance treatment efficacy through synergistic effects, helping to overcome bacterial resistance mechanisms and improve clinical outcomes. In recent years, there has been growing interest in the use of non-antibiotic drugs as adjunctive agents to enhance antimicrobial activity. These agents, often referred to as antibiotic adjuvants or resistance modifiers, may improve antibiotic effectiveness through mechanisms such as inhibition of bacterial efflux pumps, disruption of biofilm formation, or interference with resistance pathways. Verapamil, a widely used calcium channel blocker, has demonstrated potential antimicrobial and resistance-modifying properties. Experimental evidence suggests that verapamil can inhibit bacterial efflux pumps, thereby increasing intracellular concentrations of antibiotics and enhancing their activity against resistant organisms. This study aims to evaluate the in vitro synergistic antibacterial activity of verapamil in combination with selected antibiotics against MDR, extensively drug-resistant (XDR), and pandrug-resistant (PDR) bacterial isolates obtained from cancer patients. Standard microbiological methods will be used to determine antimicrobial susceptibility and minimum inhibitory concentrations, while combination effects will be assessed using established synergy testing approaches. The findings of this study may contribute to identifying novel, cost-effective strategies to combat antimicrobial resistance through drug repurposing and optimization of existing antibiotic therapies.
Key facts
- Study ID
- NCT07505446
- Run by
- Assiut University
- People needed
- 100
- Starts
- 2026-05-01
- Expected to finish
- 2027-06-01
- Last updated by the study team
- 2026-04-08
Who can join
Age: 18 and older, up to 90. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: not accepted.
You may qualify if…
- Bacterial isolates from clinical samples submitted for the SECI laboratory for culture and sensitivity testing that are:
- MDR: resistant to one or more agent within three or more of antimicrobial classes
- XDR: resistant to one or more agent within all but two antimicrobial classes
- PDR: resistant to all agents within all antimicrobial classes.
You may not qualify if…
- Bacterial isolates from non-cancer patients.
- Contaminant or non-pathogenic isolates.
- Duplicate isolates from the same patient with identical antibiogram.
- Bacterial isolates that are neither MDR, XDR OR PDR.
Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov
Trial information comes from ClinicalTrials.gov and is refreshed daily. TrialsForMe does not provide medical care and does not run the studies it lists.