Nitroxoline (8-hydroxy-5-nitroquinoline) has been used since 1962 in the treatment of urinary tract infections especially those due to gram negative bacilli (E. coli). Nitroxoline is active against most Gram-negative and –positive uropathogenic bacteria, against mycoplasmas (M. hominis, Ureaplasma urealyticum) and human pathogenic Candida spp. The mode of antibacterial and antifungal action is based on the ability of nitroxoline to chelate with various metallic bivalent cations. Nitroxoline is a fluorquinolone that is active against bacterial gyrases. This drug may also have antitumor activity by inhibition of type 2 methionine aminopeptidase (MetAP2) protein which is involved in angiogenesis. Nitroxoline induces apoptosis and inhibits glioma growth in vivo and in vitro. Due to the excellent anticancer activity and its well-known safety profile and pharmacokinetic properties, nitroxoline has been approved to enter into a phase II clinical trial in China for non-muscle invasive bladder cancer treatment