Odilorabdines
Antibiotics of a new class were obtained with the help of "killer bacteria"
Natalia Pelezneva, Naked Science
A group of American and French scientists announced the creation of a new class of antibiotics, called "odilorhabdins" (odilorhabdins, ODLs). Tests of the drugs on mice have confirmed that the new drugs are effective against various types of bacteria — gram-positive and gram-negative. According to the researchers, these drugs are able to fight microorganisms that have already developed resistance to common antibiotics. An article about the drugs was published in the journal Molecular Cell (Pantel et al., Odilorhabdins, Antibacterial Agents that Cause Miscoding by Binding at a New Ribosomal Site).
The source of the new compounds were the bacteria Xenorhabdus nematophila, which live in the body of the nematode roundworms Steinernema carpocapsae. These worms are able to live only inside the body of the host insect, where they multiply when the insect dies. Xenorhabdus nematophila bacteria secrete toxins that kill the insect. In addition, they provide a safe breeding ground for nematodes by releasing antimicrobial agents: such compounds destroy other bacteria that could accelerate the decomposition of the insect. Among these substances, scientists were looking for a new antibiotic.
The researchers analyzed the antimicrobial activity of 80 strains of the bacterium Xenorhabdus nematophila and identified several of the most effective antibacterial compounds of the same type. Odilorabdines, like many common antibiotics, affect ribosomes in bacterial cells — complex molecular complexes that play a key role in translation (protein synthesis). The ribosome recognizes the information recorded in the matrix RNA and ensures the interaction of the necessary elements. By binding to the ribosome, antibiotics affect its ability to "read" — and errors occur during the synthesis of new proteins. This process causes the death of the bacterial cell.
According to scientists, ODLs drugs bind to a ribosome site with which other antimicrobial agents have never interacted. This will allow the use of new drugs against bacteria that have developed resistance to common antibiotics. Testing has shown that odilorabdines are effective against several pathogenic bacteria. Among them are E. coli, Staphylococcus aureus and the causative agent of pneumonia and infections of the genitourinary system Klebsiella pneumoniae.
Earlier, researchers found out how the spread of the "last reserve" antibiotic resistance gene began.
Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru