Specialists of the Perm Polytechnic Institute have created a new generation antibiotic based on antimicrobial peptides. The antibiotic was tested first on “reference” strains of bacteria, and then made sure that it also works against particularly resistant pathogens that accumulate in hospitals.
Antibiotic resistance is one of the serious problems of modern medicine. New strains of bacteria are emerging that are resistant to all or almost all types of known antibiotics. Therefore, scientists around the world are looking for new opportunities and new means to cope with bacterial infections. One of the directions in this search is the creation of drugs based on antimicrobial peptides isolated from human blood.
“Antimicrobial peptides are a promising tool for combating microorganisms that cause diseases in hospital conditions. They are involved in the formation of innate and acquired immunity and are part of the defense mechanism of the body of animals and humans. These substances have a pronounced bactericidal effect. The technology for producing drugs from them includes blood sampling in healthy and non-immunized donors and the isolation of leukocyte mass. Polypeptides are obtained from biological objects using ultrasonic treatment. When exposed to certain frequencies, “white” blood cells change their permeability. We have optimized this method to obtain new compounds, “said the project manager , Professor of the Department of Chemistry and Biotechnology, Perm Polytechnic University Larisa Volkova.
Peptide complexes quickly “attack” target cells. They have a wide spectrum of action, including against strains that are resistant to other antibiotics, and this is their great advantage.
“The new antibiotic effectively fought against both gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria, it suppressed clinical strains of Staphylococcus aureus and epidermal, Escherichia coli, with less activity, the drug fought against Pseudomonas aeruginosa,” the Perm Polytechnic University said in a statement.
According to scientists, an important step has been taken in the creation of new natural antibiotics of a new generation, which are supposed to be used to treat infections of the external integument and mucous membranes, without intravenous use.