Crack in stomach ulcer bacteria could lead to new antibiotics.Washington, Oct 1 (ANI): Scientists claim to have identified a crack in the armor of a common microbe microbe /mi·crobe/ (mi´krob) a microorganism, especially a pathogenic one such as a bacterium, protozoan, or fungus.micro´bialmicro´bic mi·crobe n. that causes stomach ulcers and other diseases. They have identified a group of substances that block a key chemical pathway that the bacteria need for survival, which could lead to more effective antibiotics to fight these hard-to-treat microbes Lead researcher Javier Sancho revealed that Helicobacter pylori Helicobacter pylori A gramnegative rod-shaped bacterium that lives in the tissues of the stomach and causes inflammation of the stomach lining. Mentioned in: Indigestion, Ulcers Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori Noun 1. H. pylori - the type species of genus Heliobacter; produces urease and is associated with several gastroduodenal diseases (including gastritis and gastric ulcers and duodenal ulcers and other peptic ulcers) Heliobacter pylori ) bacteria infect the stomach lining and can cause gastritis gastritis Inflammation in the stomach. Acute gastritis, usually caused by ingesting something irritating or by infection, starts suddenly, with severe pain, vomiting, thirst, and diarrhea, and subsides rapidly. and ulcers. Treatment with broad-spectrum antibiotics can cure H. pylori infections. Scientists were already aware that blocking flavodoxin, a key protein that H. pylori needs for survival, could be the key to developing narrow-spectrum antibiotics that specifically target H. pylori. In the new study, Sancho's team screened 10,000 chemicals for their ability to block flavodoxin and identified four that showed promise. They then showed that three of the four substances killed H. pylori in cell cultures and did not have any apparent toxic effects in lab animals. "These new inhibitors constitute promising candidates to develop new specific antibiotics against H. pylori," said the study. The study will appear in ACS Chemical Biology ACS Chemical Biology is a peer-reviewed scientific journal published since 2006 by the American Chemical Society. The aim of ACS Chemical Biology is to disseminate significant original research at the interface between chemistry and biology. , a monthly journal. (ANI) Copyright 2009 Asian News International The Asian News International (ANI) agency provides multimedia news to China and 50 bureaus in India. It covers virtually all of South Asia since its foundation and presently claims, on its official website, to be the leading South Asia-wide news agency. (ANI) - All Rights Reserved. Provided by Syndigate.info an Albawaba.com company |
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