A new approach could help penicillin counter even "superbugs," researchers have claimed.
That strength of Penicillin is its molecular core, a cyclic four-membered amide ring termed a beta-lactam. It is a common structural element of the penicillins, their synthetic and semi-synthetic derivatives, and other related molecules that constitute the broad family of drugs called the beta-lactam antibiotics. Just a few examples (of dozens) include amoxicillin, ampicillin and cefazolin.
MRSA - The Super Bug
MRSA infection is the most dreaded hospital or community acquired infection that can become life-threatening.
Advertisement
The beta-lactam structure in a molecule is something that many bacteria don't like at all. It greatly hinders their ability to reproduce by cell division, and so chemists have for years spent time making molecules that all contain the beta-lactam structural motif, but differ in the surrounding molecular "shrubbery."
Carolina's Chuanbing Tang and colleagues paired the drug with a protective polymer developed in Tang's chemistry laboratory.
In lab tests, graduate student Jiuyang Zhang prepared a cobaltocenium metallopolymer that greatly slowed the destructiveness of beta-lactamase on a model beta-lactam molecule (nitrocefin).
![Drug Resistance - Antibiotic Resistance]( "Drug Resistance - Antibiotic Resistance")
Drug resistance is often a problem in malaria, tuberculosis, HIV, sexually transmitted diseases and hospital acquired diseases. Judicious use of antibiotics can control the problem.
The interdisciplinary team, which included Mitzi Nagarkatti and Alan Decho, from the university's School of Medicine and Arnold School of Public Health, respectively, also showed that the antimicrobial effectiveness of the four beta-lactams studied in detail was enhanced by the polymer. The enhancement was modest against two strains, but very pronounced with the hospital-associated strain of MRSA (HA-MRSA).
The metallopolymer by itself even demonstrated antimicrobial properties, lysing bacterial cells while leaving human red blood cells unaffected. By a variety of measures, the polymer was found to be nontoxic to human cells in laboratory tests.
The research paper has been published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society.
Source: ANI
In lab tests, graduate student Jiuyang Zhang prepared a cobaltocenium metallopolymer that greatly slowed the destructiveness of beta-lactamase on a model beta-lactam molecule (nitrocefin).
Drug Resistance - Antibiotic Resistance
Drug resistance is often a problem in malaria, tuberculosis, HIV, sexually transmitted diseases and hospital acquired diseases. Judicious use of antibiotics can control the problem.
Advertisement
The interdisciplinary team, which included Mitzi Nagarkatti and Alan Decho, from the university's School of Medicine and Arnold School of Public Health, respectively, also showed that the antimicrobial effectiveness of the four beta-lactams studied in detail was enhanced by the polymer. The enhancement was modest against two strains, but very pronounced with the hospital-associated strain of MRSA (HA-MRSA).
The metallopolymer by itself even demonstrated antimicrobial properties, lysing bacterial cells while leaving human red blood cells unaffected. By a variety of measures, the polymer was found to be nontoxic to human cells in laboratory tests.
The research paper has been published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society.
Source: ANI
Advertisement
Advertisement
|
Advertisement
Recommended Readings
Latest Drug News
The psychedelic market set for remarkable growth, projected to hit $7.2B by 2029 with a strong 55% CAGR.
The study explores whether CDNF could influence the progression of ALS in rodent models and to elucidate the mechanism through which it operates.
Amoxicillin-clavulanate use in acute sinusitis patients is associated with a higher incidence of adverse events.
Professionals advocate for enhanced education of patients and caregivers, and creation of more effective child-resistant systems for monitoring ADHD medication.
In June, WHO raised concerns about 7 Indian cough syrups after complaints from several countries about contamination and health issues.
