Targeting Drug Resistant Bacteria: Deoxynybomycin and its Derivatives

One of the major problems being addressed in the medical field today is antibiotic resistance. Superbugs, such as tuberculosis and MRSA, have become resistant to multiple antibiotics and are difficult to treat, resulting in extreme illness that can lead to death. The natural product, deoxynybomycin, has shown promise in fighting against gram positive bacteria, such as Staphylococcus aureus and Mycobacterium tuberculosis, which show resistance to fluoroquinolone antibiotics. Additionally, a derivative of deoxynybomycin, DNM-2, has shown promise in treating mice that are infected with MRSA. To optimize this antibacterial activity, novel derivatives of DNM are currently being synthesized and evaluated against S. aureus and E.coli using minimum inhibitory concentration assays. The first novel derivative tested was found to be active against both wild type S. aureus and S. aureus that are resistant to the fluoroquinolone antibiotic ciprofloxacin. This derivative has also been found to be more soluble then DNM-2, which may lead to improved oral bioavailability.Ope