Scientists studying how an organic molecule affects bacteria that are resistant to drugs have found that it can suppress and destroy a pathogen that can cause significant disease or, in some circumstances, death.
Often seen in hospital patients, Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a type of bacteria that can cause infections in the blood, lungs (pneumonia), or other regions of the body following surgery.
Recently, it was shown that the germ and several other clinically significant bacteria, including Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, and Klebsiella pneumoniae, were susceptible to the bacterial killing action of hydroquinone, an organic chemical found in the bark of some trees.
The research team, made up of members from the University of Portsmouth, Naresuan University, and Pibulsongkram Rajabhat University in Thailand, has since looked at the molecular reactions of various strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa to hydroquinine. In order to do this, they examined which genes the medication activated and which ones it turned off.
According to a recent study published in the journal Antibiotics, hydroquinone drastically changes the expression levels of virulence factors in Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Additionally, it implies that the substance obstructs the assembly and movement of the germs.
Dr. Robert Baldock, from the University of Portsmouth’s School of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, said: “There is a sizable list of antibiotics that are ineffective against Pseudomonas aeruginosa, but hydroquinine was found to significantly turn off some of the genes controlling the bacterium’s motility in our experiments. Germ swarming, swimming, and biofilm formation were significantly reduced.
If we know that this medicine is acting in a really special or distinctive way, then it first of all explains why it’s active on these drug-resistant cells, but it also indicates that you might look at combining it with other existing antibiotics to make them more successful.
More than 2.8 million infections are caused by drug-resistant bacteria, which also cause 35,000 fatalities each year. Antimicrobial resistance happens when bacteria change over time and stop reacting to drugs. This makes it hard to treat infections.
Antibiotics that are often used but to which some strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa have developed resistance include amoxicillin and trimethoprim. In addition to being used to treat nocturnal muscle cramps in the Netherlands, hydroquinone is already recognized to be an effective treatment for human malaria. Little research has been done up until now on its drug-resistant traits.
The Department of Medical Technology at Naresuan University’s Dr. Jirapas Jongjitwimol added: “It is exciting to learn that an organic compound has the potential to be used as a powerful tool in the fight against antimicrobial resistance, which has grown to be one of the biggest threats to public health in the world.”
To figure out why the compound affects some bacteria but not others, it is now necessary to look at how it works against a wider range of drug-resistant bacteria strains.
