AUSTRALIA
Researchers at La Trobe University have found a peptide in the flower of a tobacco plant that could be the first of a brand new kind of antibiotic.
The Nicotiana alata ornamental plant protects itself from infection by producing anti-fungal molecules, and the La Trobe team isolated a peptide known as NaD1 from the flowers to test if it could be put to work as an antimicrobial agent for human use.
The peptide was found to be effective against a type of microorganism that most antibiotics cannot kill – Candida albicans. This common species of yeast is often found in the human gut and mouth and, although it is normally harmless, it can pose a threat to people with compromised immune systems.
The La Trobe team conducted experiments using the Australian Synchrotron, and found that NaD1 destroyed the fungus by puncturing the outer cell walls and ripping them open.
“They act in a different way to existing antibiotics and allow us to explore new ways of fighting infections,” said Mark Hulett, an author of a study describing the research. “It’s an exciting discovery that could be harnessed to develop a new class of life-saving antimicrobial therapy to treat a range of infectious diseases, including multi-drug-resistant golden staph, and viral infections such as HIV, Zika virus, dengue, and Murray River encephalitis.”