Researchers at Shanghai Jiano Tong University found out that the increase in the active component of the Turmer increases the efficiency of antibiotic Bedakvilin for the treatment of infections caused by MyCobacterium abscessus. This revelation may be a breakthrough in the treatment of stable diseases against antibiotics. The work was published in the Microbiology Spectrum magazine.
Mycobacterium Abscessus is a rapidly growing pathogenic micobacter, which causes lungs and skin infections. The most dangerous are those who have a weakened immune system and chronic respiratory diseases. Due to the natural resistance of the antibiotics, the treatment of infection lasts more than a year and includes a combination of drugs. However, only half of patients are fully recovering after a long treatment.
Bedakvilin used to treat tuberculosis is a certain effectiveness against M. Abscessus, but does not always fully clean the infection. Scientists were looking for a way to improve the effectiveness of this antibiotic and turned to Kurkumin, a natural substance that has long been used in traditional Asian medicine to treat various diseases.
During laboratory experiments, Bedakvilin initially broke the growth of M. Abscessus, but two weeks later, bacteria began to multiply. However, when the Kurkum was added, the growth of bacteria was fully suppressed, which shows that Curcumin has the properties of bacteriological resistance to antibiotics.
During the study of mice, the combination of Bedakvilin and Kurkumin was more effective to suppress the infection than any component separately. This effect was observed in both healthy mice and animals with a weakened immune system.
"The combination of antibiotic and Kurkumin showed enhanced antibacterial activity and improved the dissolution of the infection," said Dr. Wang, who led the research.
Scientists plan to study the molecular mechanisms underlying combined therapy and check its efficiency over other durable micobacteries. The security of the drug is assessed to solve the road to the development of new methods of clinical trials and treatment.
Translation of: Manuel Tamazyan
