Scientists discover hidden immune mechanism that could lead to new antibiotics against superbugs

Scientists have recently discovered a new part of the immune system, which could potentially lead to the development of new antibiotics.

This part of the body, known for recycling proteins, has a hidden function that can release a variety of chemicals capable of killing bacteria.

Researchers in Israel suggest that this discovery changes our understanding of how our body defends itself against infections and offers a new avenue for finding antibiotics to combat the growing issue of superbugs resistant to current treatments.

The focus of this discovery is on the proteasome, a small structure present in every cell. Its main function is to break down old proteins into smaller components that can be recycled for the creation of new proteins.

However, a series of experiments, published in the journal Nature, revealed that the proteasome can also detect bacterial infections in cells.

Upon detection, it alters its structure and function, converting old proteins into antimicrobial agents that can break down the outer walls of bacteria and destroy them.

The research team conducted a series of experiments to explore these natural antibiotics. They tested them on bacteria grown in the lab and on mice suffering from pneumonia and sepsis.

The results showed that these natural substances produced by the proteasome were as effective as some well-established antibiotics.

Additionally, when the proteasome was disabled in lab cells, those cells became significantly more susceptible to bacterial infections, such as Salmonella.

These findings have prompted experts to rethink our understanding of the body’s immune defenses. The discovery reveals a previously unknown mechanism by which our cells produce substances that fight infections.

This breakthrough could lead to the identification of an entirely new class of antibiotics, derived from the body's own processes.

While this discovery is promising, experts caution that it will take time to translate these findings into practical applications for developing new antibiotics.

The increasing problem of antibiotic-resistant infections, which claim over a million lives annually, underscores the urgent need for new treatments.

However, there has been a lack of research focused on discovering new antibiotics to meet the growing demand.

This new insight into the body’s defense mechanisms has given some researchers hope. They believe that these natural antibiotics could be easier to develop into medicines, as they are already produced by the human body.

This could potentially reduce safety concerns in the development process.

Source: BBC.COM