New Hope Antibiotic
Teixobactin synthesized in China
Anna Stavina, XX2 century, based on materials from Hong Kong Polytechnic University: HKU Chemists achieve breakthrough in antibacterial drug research
A group of researchers led by Dr. Xuechen Li from the Faculty of Chemistry of the University of Hong Kong (HKU Department of Chemistry), together with Dr. Yu Yuan from the University of Central Florida and Dr. Sheng Chen from the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, announced the creation of a method to synthesize the recently discovered the revolutionary antibiotic teixobactin (teixobactin). The results of the study were published in the journal Nature Communications (Jin et al., Total synthesis of teixobactin). This work may pave the way for the creation and use of next-generation antibacterial drugs based on theixobactin.
The resistance of bacteria to antibiotics is growing everywhere and is becoming a serious threat to public health. For example, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus has been declared one of the main pathogens causing both nosocomial and community-acquired infections. Staphylococcus aureus is also considered one of the most dangerous superbugs (the so-called pathogens resistant to most available drugs) in Hong Kong, as it spreads very easily and often leads to death. To avoid further deterioration of the situation with resistance to antibacterial therapy, it is necessary to stop the incorrect and excessive administration of antibiotics.
A group of researchers led by Dr. Xuechen Li has been researching new antibiotics for seven years. In 2013, they first developed a method for the chemical synthesis of daptomycin, which made it possible to create a new generation of drugs based on this antibiotic. Recently, the same scientists have achieved success in developing the chemical synthesis of another antibacterial drug, teixobactin.
The discovery of teixobactin by American scientists last year was called a "breakthrough" in the study of antibacterial drugs in the journal Nature. Teixobactin is capable of destroying bacteria resistant to other antibiotics, for example, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus or vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus (Enterococcus) and Koch's bacillus (Mycobacterium tuberculosis).
Although the test results of teixobactin look promising, it is imperfect from the point of view of pharmacology. To improve its medicinal properties, it may be necessary to change its structure. It is known from the history of the creation of antibacterial drugs that modification of the initial compound can lead to the emergence of new generations of antibiotics, as happened with penicillin and its derivatives. Only with the help of chemical synthesis and medical chemistry, the structure of teixobactin can be changed in such a way that teixobactin derivatives synthesized from simpler compounds appear at the disposal of doctors. That is why the development of the synthesis process of teixobactin attracted the attention of scientists from different countries: more than 15 research groups around the world were engaged in solving this problem. Working in collaboration with chemists from the University of Central Florida, scientists from the University of Hong Kong have achieved success faster than others. They were able not only to synthesize teixobactin, but also to create 10 promising derivatives of this antibiotic. The strategy developed by experts from Hong Kong is very effective, its use can lead to the rapid development of new drugs based on teixobactin.
Now the team led by Dr. Xuechen Li plans to develop more than 100 derivatives within two years and search for compounds with the best pharmacological properties for further use in medicine.
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16.11.2016