Antimicrobial activity of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors in bacteria and fungi: a systematic review

Objective: this systematic review aims to compile literature data on the antimicrobial action of Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRI). Methods: To this end, the articles in this review were searched in the PubMed database between the years 2010 to 2020, using terms found in MESH as descriptors. The PRISMA flow diagram was used to analyze the process flow of the research. Later, inclusion and exclusion criteria and eligibility for data extraction and statistical analysis were applied. Results: Thus, of 252 articles found, 13 were used for this systematic review. The period in which there were more publications was in 2016-2017. All articles demonstrated the antimicrobial activity of ISRS, such as sertraline, fluoxetine, and paroxetine, in addition to their synergistic activity with some antifungals and antibacterial. Conclusion: With this, it could be concluded that the repositioning of non-antibiotic drugs that have antimicrobial activity is a promising alternative for the scientific community and, in the future, in clinical practice