Chifiriuc, Mariana CarmenFilip, RoxanaConstantin, MarianGratiela Gradisteanu Pircalabioru, Gratiela GradisteanuBleotu, CoraliaBurlibasa, LilianaIonica, ElenaCorcionivoschi, NicolaeMihaescu, Grigore2022-09-082022-09-082022-08-08Chifiriuc, M.C., Filip, R., Constantin, M., Pircalabioru, G.G., Bleotu, C., Burlibasa, L., Ionica, E., Corcionivoschi, N. and Mihaescu, G. (2022) ‘Common themes in antimicrobial and anticancer drug resistance’, Frontiers in Microbiology. Frontiers Media SA. Available at: https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2022.960693.1664-302X (electronic)https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2022.960693Publication history: Accepted - 22 July 2022; Published - 8 August 2022.Antimicrobial and anticancer drug resistance represent two of the main global challenges for the public health, requiring immediate practical solutions. In line with this, we need a better understanding of the origins of drug resistance in prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells and the evolutionary processes leading to the occurrence of adaptive phenotypes in response to the selective pressure of therapeutic agents. The purpose of this paper is to present some of the analogies between the antimicrobial and anticancer drug resistance. Antimicrobial and anticancer drugs share common targets and mechanisms of action as well as similar mechanisms of resistance (e.g., increased drug efflux, drug inactivation, target alteration, persister cells’ selection, protection of bacterial communities/malignant tissue by an extracellular matrix, etc.). Both individual and collective stress responses triggered by the chemotherapeutic agent involving complex intercellular communication processes, as well as with the surrounding microenvironment, will be considered. The common themes in antimicrobial and anticancer drug resistance recommend the utility of bacterial experimental models for unraveling the mechanisms that facilitate the evolution and adaptation of malignant cells to antineoplastic drugs.enCOPYRIGHT © 2022 Chifiriuc, Filip, Constantin, Pircalabioru, Bleotu, Burlibasa, Ionica, Corcionivoschi and Mihaescu. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.microbial biofilmspersister cellsefflux pumpsstress responsegut microbiotamutator phenotypeArticle