A recent study showed that a plant-derived compound killed strains of tuberculosis resistant to existing therapies.
The compound was found in a plant native to North America and was not only able to prevent dormant TB bacteria from reappearing, but also did not damage the gut microbiome.
Tuberculosis is the second deadliest infectious disease in humans worldwide and has developed resistance to many antibiotics previously used to treat it.
Caused by a species of bacteria that invades the respiratory system called Mycobacterium tuberculosis, it can also affect the heart, brain and spine.
A new study published in the journal Anti-inflammatory Nutraceuticals and Chronic Diseases found that Sanguinarine, a derivative of Sanguinaria, a wildflower found in North America, could fight multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MRTB) after being genetically engineered to reduce its natural toxicity.
Tuberculosis is treated with several drugs over a period of 6 months, exposing the human body to significant weakening. In contrast, Sanguinarine selectively targeted MRTB-causing bacteria, leaving harmless and beneficial bacteria intact.
However, in its natural form, Sanguinarine is toxic to human cells. That’s why Dr. Jim Sun, lead author and assistant professor in the department of microbiology and immunology at the University of British Columbia, led a team to genetically reduce the phytochemical’s toxicity while increasing its potency as a tuberculosis killer.
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This resulted in the creation of 35 new derivatives, two of which (BPD9 and BPD6) showed over 90% inhibition of 8 different forms of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, 3 were particularly virulent and 5 were resistant to existing drugs.
“Treatment for TB takes six months because the bacteria can ‘hibernate’ in your lungs until it is reactivated. Most antibiotics work best against actively growing bacteria, but BPD9 appears to be able to prevent dormant bacteria from coming back to life,” explained Dr. Sun.
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It took only 8 days to significantly reduce the amount of MRTB and other TB strains in mice treated with BPD9, which delighted the research team, who nevertheless say that there is still more to be done to reduce the toxicity of compounds and conduct additional drug testing. resistant strains of bacteria responsible for tuberculosis.
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