A new antibiotic
Researchers from Purdue University in the United States have identified a compound that, upon preliminary testing, proved to be as effective as antibiotics approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of dangerous infections. It is less sensitive to the mechanisms of bacterial resistance.
The substance was named F6, it showed high efficacy against resistant pathogens such as methicillin-resistant staphylococcus (MRSA), which is often found in hospitals and other medical institutions, and vancomycin-resistant staphylococcus (VRSA).
The World Health Organization has recognized antibiotic resistance as one of the three most serious threats to human health, as bacteria are becoming more resistant and too few treatments are being developed. According to research, by 2050, resistant pathogens worldwide can cause 10 million deaths per year.
Pharmaceutical companies are reluctant to invest in the development of antibiotics because they usually cost millions of dollars, and the likelihood of developing resistance to them is high.
Compound F6 was detected by screening the chemical library to search for a substance with antibacterial activity. The researchers tried to strengthen the resistance of bacteria to F6 in vitro by adding increasing concentrations of the drug to MRSA bacteria and supporting bacterial growth. After a certain number of such cycles, resistance is formed.
The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of F6 remained unchanged during the nine passages of resistance formation and doubled on the 10th. Then it remained unchanged until the 14th passage for two weeks. For comparison, the MIC of the antibiotic ciprofloxacin tripled after the eighth and continued to increase rapidly to more than 2,000 times by the 14th passage.
Safe for humans and animals, F6 is only effective against gram-positive bacteria. He F6 fights against MRSA, VRSA, vancomycin-resistant enterococci Enterococcus faecalis (VRE), and listeria, often associated with unpasteurized dairy products.
Experiments on mice have shown that F6 is as effective as fusidic acid in treating a wound infected with MRSA. This once again confirmed its powerful antibacterial effect.
The researchers plan to synthesize F6 derivatives to find an even more effective compound.
Article by Clement Opoku-Temeng et al. N-(1,3,4-oxadiazol-2-yl)benzamide analogs, bacteriostatic agents against methicillin- and vancomycin-resistant bacteria is published in the European Journal of Medicinal Chemistry.
Aminat Adzhieva, portal "Eternal Youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru according to Purdue University: New compound shown to be as effective as FDA-approved drugs against life-threatening infections; tests indicate it is less susceptible to resistance.