Oklahoma [US], August 1 : Since most clinical antibiotics no longer work against some harmful bacteria, the World Health Organization has classified antimicrobial resistance as a global problem. The University of Oklahoma's Center for Antibiotic Discovery and Resistance is working to identify different therapeutic approaches under the direction of Helen Zgurskaya, PhD., and Valentin Rybenkov, PhD.
Antibiotics function by specifically attacking a bacterial cell's DNA or cell wall. There are several ways that bacteria might develop antibiotic resistance, including the development of efflux pumps, which are proteins that are found on the surface of the bacterial cell. The efflux pump removes antibiotics that enter cells before they can reach their target, preventing the antibiotic from ever killing the bacteria.
However, OU researchers have contributed to a recent discovery published in the journal Nature Communications. The scientists found a new class of molecules that inhibit the efflux pump and make the antibiotic effective again.
The inhibitors have a novel mechanism of action, which until recently remained unclear. Zgurskaya’s team, in collaboration with teams at the Georgia Institute of Technology and King’s College London in the United Kingdom, have uncovered that these inhibitors work as a “molecular wedge” that targets the area between the inner and outer cell membranes and increases antibacterial activities of antibiotics. Understanding this mechanism can facilitate the discovery of new therapeutics for clinical applications.
“We already live in a post-antibiotic era, and things will get much worse unless new solutions are found for antibiotic resistance in clinics. The discoveries we’ve made will facilitate the development of new treatments to help mitigate an impending crisis,” Zgurskaya said.
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