Antibiotic repurposing as alternative therapeutic strategies for cancer and Alzheimer’s disease: A solution or conundrum?

Traditionally, drugs targeting mammalian systems have been repurposed as antibacterials to combat antimicrobial resistance. This review highlights the reverse perspective - exploring the emerging potential of antibiotics in the treatment and management of cancer and Alzheimer's disease. Because antibiotics are fast losing their efficacy due to resistance, repurposing clinically approved antibiotics for other diseases presents an attractive strategy, offering a new avenue for antibiotic applications rather than allowing valuable research efforts to go to waste. This review provides an overview on antibiotic repurposing for crucial diseases such as cancer and Alzheimer's disease, while also exploring the challenges and limitations associated with this approach. Future prospects of antibiotic repurposing are also discussed.