Antibiotic Inhibitors The World Health Organization has identified antimicrobial resistance as a global threat, rendering many clinical antibiotics ineffective against pathogenic bacteria. In response, the Center for Antibiotic Discovery and Resistance at the University of Oklahoma, led by Dr. Helen Zgurskaya and Dr. Valentin Rybenkov, is actively seeking alternative therapeutic solutions.
Antibiotics traditionally target specific parts of bacterial cells, such as the cell wall or DNA. However, bacteria can develop resistance through efflux pumps, proteins on the cell surface that pump out antibiotics before they can reach their target, allowing the bacteria to survive. In a groundbreaking discovery published in Nature Communications, researchers at OU, in collaboration with teams from the Georgia Institute of Technology and King’s College London, identified a new class of molecules that inhibit these efflux pumps, restoring the effectiveness of antibiotics.
These inhibitors function as “molecular wedges,” targeting the area between the inner and outer cell membranes, and enhancing the antibacterial activity of antibiotics. This mechanism of action remained unclear until now. Understanding this process opens doors for the development of new therapeutics to combat antibiotic resistance in clinical applications.
Dr. Zgurskaya emphasized the urgency of the situation, stating that we are already living in a post-antibiotic era, and without new solutions, the situation will worsen. The discoveries made by her team hold the potential to pave the way for new treatments and mitigate the impending crisis of antibiotic resistance. Both Dr. Zgurskaya and Dr. Rybenkov hold key positions in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Dodge Family College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Oklahoma.
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