Molecule to treat tuberculosis is improved

The molecule"s design, created by the Group of Molecular Biochemistry and Biology of Microbacteria from Universidad Nacional de Colombia, based on the modification of a chain of amino acids known as peptides, could contribute to the reduction of treatment"s time and the secondary effects that high potential antibiotics generate in the organism. These antibiotics are commonly used to treat this disease, which has a transmission rate of close to 25 cases in each 100 thousand inhabitants in Colombia, according to the 2006 report:  Surveilance of the resistance of Mycrobacterium tuberculosis to medicines, made by the Health National Institute (INS, for its acronym in Spanish).

The structural modification of peptides, which is present on the first line of defense of the body"s immune system, has achieved positive results fighting against this pathology.

"Through bioinformatics, a tool that allows analyzing biological data by means of virtual programs, we could chemically modify those molecules to attack specifically and effectively tuberculosis bacteria" asserted Luz Mary Salazar, researcher from Universidad Nacional de Colombia.

After analyzing 12 structurally modified molecules, which were synthesized and characterized, and finally tested, "we obtained promising outcome in the antimicrobial performance, as well as in the oxidation levels that were low (1.2%), and in the concentrations (50 micrograms per milliliter). This also implies the reduction of collateral damages occasioned by anti-tuberculosis drugs (mainly hepatic and kidney drugs) and the time of the treatment that sometimes leads to bacterial resistance," mentioned Carlos Yesid Soto, director of the research group.

Although the molecule is not ready to be used in patients (since it has to go through more tests), it opens the possibilities to new studies that could go further in the consolidation of a peptide that helps improving current medicines.

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