Clinical trial · Observational
Characterization of the Synergistic Antibacterial Effect of Verapamil on Bacterial Isolates From Cancer Patients
Characterization of the Synergistic Antibacterial Effect of Verapamil on Bacterial Isolates From Patients in South Egypt Cancer Institute
- Source
- ClinicalTrials.gov
- Retrieved
- Sep 8, 2026
- Layer
- normalized (units and labels harmonized; values unchanged)
- Run
- ING-CLINICALTRIALS-20260908-000001
Summary
Brief summary (as posted)
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.
Conditions
Conditions (2)
Free-text conditions as registered, with the CancerIndex entity they were reconciled to and the match type.
| Condition (as posted) | Mapped entity | Match | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Antibiotic Resistance | — | UNRESOLVED | — |
| Multi Drug Resistant Organisms | — | UNRESOLVED | — |
Interventions
Interventions (1)
| Intervention | Type | Mapped drug | Match |
|---|---|---|---|
| verapamil | Drug | — | UNRESOLVED |
Design
Arms and outcomes
Arms (0)
[]Primary outcomes (1)
- measure
- Characterization of the synergistic antibacterial effect of Verapamil on bacterial isolates from patients in South Egypt Cancer Institute
- timeFrame
- Baseline
- description
- Determination of the antibiotic sensitivity patterns of the bacterial isolates as measured by MIC values
Eligibility
Eligibility (as posted)
- Sex
- All
- Minimum age
- 18 Years
- Maximum age
- 90 Years
Show eligibility criteria text
Inclusion Criteria: 1. Bacterial isolates from clinical samples submitted for the SECI laboratory for culture and sensitivity testing that are: 2. MDR: resistant to one or more agent within three or more of antimicrobial classes 3. XDR: resistant to one or more agent within all but two antimicrobial classes 4. PDR: resistant to all agents within all antimicrobial classes. Exclusion Criteria: 1. Bacterial isolates from non-cancer patients. 2. Contaminant or non-pathogenic isolates. 3. Duplicate isolates from the same patient with identical antibiogram. 4. Bacterial isolates that are neither MDR, XDR OR PDR.
References
Publications (6)
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- BACKGROUNDVega-Chacon Y, de Albuquerque MC, Pavarina AC, Goldman GH, Mima EGO. Verapamil inhibits efflux pumps in Candida albicans, exhibits synergism with fluconazole, and increases survival of Galleria mellonella. Virulence. 2021 Dec;12(1):231-243. doi: 10.1080/21505594.2020.1868814. PMID 33410730
- BACKGROUNDDuckett SG, Ginks M, Shetty AK, Knowles BR, Totman JJ, Chiribiri A, Ma YL, Razavi R, Schaeffter T, Carr-White G, Rhode K, Rinaldi CA. Realtime fusion of cardiac magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography venography with X-ray fluoroscopy to aid cardiac resynchronisation therapy implantation in patients with persistent left superior vena cava. Europace. 2011 Feb;13(2):285-6. doi: 10.1093/europace/euq383. Epub 2010 Oct 25. No abstract available. PMID 20974762
- BACKGROUNDSoons JA, Ricci AJ, Steele CR, Puria S. Cytoarchitecture of the mouse organ of corti from base to apex, determined using in situ two-photon imaging. J Assoc Res Otolaryngol. 2015 Feb;16(1):47-66. doi: 10.1007/s10162-014-0497-1. Epub 2014 Oct 28. PMID 25348579
- BACKGROUNDEnoh J, Orega M, Yao A, Cisse L, Couitchere L, Attimere Y, Niangue M, Andoh J. [Choleriform diarrhea in children in Abdijan]. Arch Pediatr. 2003 Nov;10(11):1009-10. doi: 10.1016/j.arcped.2003.09.026. No abstract available. French. PMID 14613700