Roorkee: Researchers from Biotechnology Department at Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Roorkee have developed a pioneering technique to reverse the drug resistance and enable antibiotics to effectively kill the bacteria.
The Drug-Resistant Bacteria uses ‘efflux pumps’ a system that acts as tiny motors to eject out the antibiotic from the cell’s interior which prevents the drug from reaching its specific target area and thus helps bacteria to survive even in the presence of the antibiotic.
The groundbreaking research was led by Dr Ranjana Pathania, Department of Biotechnology at IIT Roorkee who discovered a molecule that would obstruct the expelling of the antibiotic from the cell’s interior which would successfully lead the antibiotic reach its target thus killing the bacteria.
The molecule named as ‘IITR08027’ disrupts the cell’s proton gradient responsible for the efflux of antibiotic by energizing the pumps. This molecule, when used in combination with fluoroquinolones, inhibits the efflux which allows the killing of bacteria in the cell.
The research published in International Journal of Antimicrobial Agents explained how the molecule can successfully effect the drug-resistant bacteria. The team has conducted a trial against the multi-drug resistant clinical strains of Acinetobacter baumannii which when combined with fluoroquinolones has given positive results.
Elaborating the mechanism of the drug’s resistance Dr Ranjana Pathania said: “Antibiotic resistance in bacterial pathogens has been one of the major issues that plague the healthcare sector today. According to an estimate, about 1,900 people die every day due to antibiotic-resistant infections, which amounts to about 70,000 deaths per year. Discovering a new antibiotic or drug, to counter the resistant bacteria will be a time-taking process, due to which the team wanted to come up with a technique, which could restore the efficacy and effectiveness of the existing antibiotics and medications like ciprofloxacin or norfloxacin.”
“Since this molecule rejuvenates the activity of fluoroquinolones against resistant bacterial pathogens, its clinical use of could be a medically as well as an economically beneficial move. Moreover, this molecule has a very low cell toxicity, which makes it an ideal candidate to enter pre-clinical trial phase for toxicity and efficacy in animal models,” he added.