Researchers at Hokkaido University said they are working on developing antibiotics against multidrug-resistant bacteria. Photo by Forbidden Nazuna/Wikimedia Commons
Dec. 20 (UPI) — Researchers at Japan’s Hokkaido University are working to develop antibiotics against multidrug-resistant bacteria, according to research published Tuesday in the journal Nature Communications.
Antibiotics are important for the treatment of several bacterial diseases. However, many strains have become resistant due to overuse and misuse. But a team led by Professor Satoshi Ichikawa at Hokkaido University has recently had a breakthrough.
The team worked on a class of antibacterial compounds called sphaerimicins. These compounds block the function of a protein in the bacteria called MraY, which is essential for the replication of bacteria.
“Sphaerimicins are biological compounds and have very complex structures,” Ichikawa said in a news release. “We set out to design analogs to this molecule that would be easier to manufacture while also becoming more effective against MraY, thus increasing its antibacterial activity.”
The team synthesized two analogs of sphaerimicin, SPM1 and SPM2. These analogs were found to be effective against some of the bacteria.
By studying this structure and comparing it to that of related antibacterial agents, they determined how to further simplify the molecules. They were successful in developing a simpler analog, SPM3, whose activity was similar to SPM1.
The SPMs were also effective against Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the bacteria that causes tuberculosis and which has multidrug-resistant strains.
“Our most significant contribution is the construction of the core skeleton of sphaerimicin, which can be used to develop more antibacterial agents that target MraY and hence multidrug-resistant strains,” Ichikawa said.
