NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Nubiotics, proprietary DNA- and RNA-based antimicrobial agents, have shown promise in an animal model of burn wound infection containing Pseudomonas aeruginosa.
Oligonucleotide-based nubiotics exhibit potent in vitro antibacterial activities against a number of gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria, investigators report in the August issue of Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy. Their mechanisms of action remain unclear, but are generally thought to be different from conventional antibiotics.
“Nubiotics are believed to be proton donors, and the hydrogen ions induce bacterial cell death by membrane depolarization, although this remains to be elucidated,” investigators explain.
Dr. Roderic M. Dale of Oligos Etc., Inc., of Wilsonville, Oregon, the company developing the compounds, is the lead author of the paper. He and colleagues evaluated the in vivo efficacy of 12 different nubiotics in a murine burn wound infection model with a highly pathogenic strain of P. aeruginosa capable of causing both local and systemic forms of infection.
Four of the 12 nubiotics (Nu-2, -3, -4, and -5) proved “extremely efficacious” in the postexposure treatment of burn wound with 60% to 100% of treated mice surviving compared with none of the untreated control mice.
These nubiotics were effective when given either intravenously and/or subcutaneously or topically, resulting in nearly complete eradication of P. aeruginosa from the spleen, liver, and blood. They proved as effective as intravenously administered ciprofloxacin.
The investigators believe the efficacy of nubiotics may be further enhanced by encapsulating them in liposomes. Research on that front is underway.
Source: Antimicrob Agents Chemother 2004;48:2918-2923. [ Google search on this article ]
MeSH Headings:Animal Diseases: Disease Models, Animal: Health Occupations: Health Services Administration: Outcome and Process Assessment (Health Care): Pseudomonas Infections: Quality of Health Care: Drugs, Investigational: Treatment Outcome: Gram-Negative Bacterial Infections: Outcome Assessment (Health Care): Health Care Quality, Access, and Evaluation: Health Care Evaluation Mechanisms: Biological Sciences: Diseases: Health CareCopyright © 2002 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters shall not be liable for any errors or delays in the content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon. Reuters and the Reuters sphere logo are registered trademarks and trademarks of the Reuters group of companies around the world.
