Nature Chemical Biology: Scientists develop new antibiotic against super bacteria

Scientists at the University of Illinois Chicago have discovered a new double-acting antibiotic that makes it 100 million times harder for bacteria to develop resistance, preventing them from turning into super bacteria. The results of their research were published in the journal Nature Chemical Biology.

Scientists have explained that super bacteria are pathogens of infectious diseases that are resistant to several antibiotics that are traditionally used to treat the disease in question. Most super bacteria arise from the accumulation of mutations in their DNA that protect them from the effects of antibiotics.

A new class of synthetic drugs known as macrolones combines the properties of two types of antibiotics with different modes of action: macrolides and fluoroquinolones. Macrolides block the activity of ribosomes, where protein synthesis occurs, while fluoroquinolones target a specific enzyme called DNA gyrase. The latter is necessary for the implementation of the most important cellular processes: reproduction, cell division, and transcription.

The scientists conducted a series of experiments to study how different macrolone-class drugs interacted with the ribosome and DNA gyrase. Macrolones have been found to bind to the ribosome more strongly than traditional macrolides and are able to block ribosome function in strains of bacteria resistant to common macrolides.

The most promising drug was one that effectively affected both ribosomes and DNA gyrase—even at low doses. This dual action virtually precludes the bacteria from developing simple defense mechanisms against this antibiotic.

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