A toxin in sugar that wipes out superbugs has been called the “most exciting antibiotic candidate” for decades.
Albicidin is a toxin produced by the plant pathogen that causes the devastating sugarcane leaf blight disease. Researchers found that albicidin was effective against six antibiotic-resistant bacteria in a new laboratory study.
Scientists hope it will give them a new weapon to fight superlice, which are estimated to contribute to around seven million deaths each year. Experts warn against taking it as seriously as global warming.
The antibiotic – called albicidin – is made by the plant pathogen that causes the devastating sugarcane leaf blight, a bacterial disease that can devastate crops
DR Dmitry Ghilarov, leader of the research group studying albicidin at the John Innes Center in Norwich, UK, said: “We believe this is one of the most exciting new antibiotic candidates in many years.
“It has extremely high potency in small concentrations and is very effective against pathogenic bacteria – even those resistant to commonly used antibiotics.”
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Albicidin is used by the pathogen Xanthomonas albilineans to spread throughout the plant, causing the leaves to wilt and the crop to be unusable.
The development of albicidin as an antibiotic was slow because scientists could not figure out exactly how it affects its target in plants: the bacterial enzyme DNA gyrase.
Albicidin prevents a process that allows cells to function properly.
Gyrase, a bacterial enzyme, binds to DNA and coils it in a process called supercoiling, which is critical to cell function.
During supercoiling, the DNA is temporarily broken.
Albicidin prevents DNA recombination by changing its shape and effectively blocking the pathway.
Now that the scientists have this additional structural understanding of how albicidin works, they hope to use it to modify the antibiotic and make it more effective against drug-resistant bacteria.
In the latest study, scientists used a high-powered microscope to discover that albicidin adopts an L-shape, which prevents the gyrase from rejoining the broken DNA, like “a key thrown between two gears.”
The way albicidin interacts is sufficiently different from existing antibiotics that it is likely to act against many of today’s antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
Through laboratory tests, the scientists found that it was effective against some of the most dangerous bacterial infections commonly found in hospitals, including salmonella, E. coli and pneumonia.
It is estimated that these three antibiotic-resistant bugs kill more than 50,000 Americans each year.
When antibiotics are taken unnecessarily, bacteria can develop the ability to defeat them and gradually become resistant to drugs.
DR Ghilarov said: “Because of the nature of the interaction, albicidin seems to target a really essential part of the enzyme and it is difficult for bacteria to develop resistance to it.
“Now that we have a structural understanding, we can explore how we can further exploit this binding pocket and make further modifications to albicidin to improve its potency and pharmacological properties.”
Now the researchers will seek funding for human clinical trials that they hope will lead to the creation of a new class of antibiotics.
The results were published in the journal Nature Catalysis.
It is estimated that by 2050, superbugs will kill 10 million people each year, with those affected succumbing to the once harmless bugs.
About 700,000 people worldwide die each year from drug-resistant infections, including tuberculosis (TB), HIV and malaria.
Concerns have been repeatedly raised that medicine will return to a “dark age” if antibiotics stop working in the coming years.
In addition to existing drugs becoming less effective, only one or two new antibiotics have been developed in the last 30 years.
In 2019, the WHO warned that antibiotics were “running out” as a report found a “severe shortage” of new medicines in the development pipeline.
Without antibiotics, caesareans, cancer treatments and hip replacements become incredibly “dangerous”, it was said at the time.
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Crystal Leahy is an author and health journalist who writes for The Fashion Vibes. With a background in health and wellness, Crystal has a passion for helping people live their best lives through healthy habits and lifestyles.
