Discovery Of Novel Targets And Targeting Compounds For Fighting Deadly Infectious Diseases Including MtB

Main Category: Tuberculosis
Also Included In: Infectious Diseases / Bacteria / Viruses
Article Date: 13 Feb 2013 - 4:00 PST


An international team of researchers from India, Brazil, Mexico, the USA, and Denmark led by Debmalya Barh from the Institute of Integrative Omics and Applied Biotechnology (IIOAB) in Nonakuri, Tamluk, Purba Medinipur, West Bengal, India have claimed to have identified a novel drug target (Acetate kinase) common to pathogens causing hemorrhagic diarrohea; tuberculosis, plague diphtheria, and Caseous lymphadenitis and two novel targets (Undecaprenyl pyrophosphate phosphatase enzyme and Outer membrane protein ompU) that may help to develop both a drug and a vaccine against almost all pathogenic Vibrio spp including Vibrio cholerae.

Two studies have been published by the team, one in Integrative Biology on 3rd January, 2013 and the second in PLOS ONE on 30th January 30, 2013 describing these findings. The researchers have for the first time identified the targeting compounds isolated from Piper betel leaves. They have also demonstrated that among the several compounds one of the piper compounds, Piperdardine, is having higher efficacy than certain antibiotics such as Chloramphenicol, Penicillin, and Ampicillin. Dr. Nidia Leon-Sicairos form School of Medicine, Autonomous University of Sinaloa, Mexico, who headed the Mexican team associated with this research, describes these compounds as "golden compounds" and according to Prof. Vasco Azevedo, the Brazilian team led from UFMG "Identification of the common targets and targeting compounds for so many deadly pathogens in one shot is a big achievement and progress towards fighting against the diseases caused by these pathogens."

"Piper betel leaves are uses as a healthy mouth freshener and also having been used in Ayurvedic medicine since ages. But first time we are reporting the specific compounds from this plant having antibacterial properties against the deadly pathogens we studied." says Debmalya Barh. "We also have identified certain compounds in this plant that are effective against multi-drug resistant broad-spectrum deadly pathogens that we will disclose soon".

Betel leaves are an economic crop of IIOAB's surrounding locality which produces best quality leaves in India. Barh and his colleagues are now advancing the research to establish Piper betel as a source of next-generation antibiotics to fight against broad-spectrum deadly infectious diseases

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