A
noxious weed that plagues homes across Florida may hold the secret to fighting
deadly
antibiotic-resistant
superbugs, according to a new study.
The
red berries of the Brazilian peppertree contains an extract that can disarm the
staph
bacteria.
“Traditional healers in Amazon have used the Brazilian peppertree for hundreds
of
years
to treat infections of the skin and soft tissues,“ said Cassandra Quave, an
assistant
professor
at Emory University.
“We
pulled apart the chemical ingredients of the berries and tested them against
diseasecausing
bacteria
to uncover a medicinal mechanism of this plant,“ Quave said. The
researchers
showed that a refined, flavone-rich composition extracted from the berries
inhibited
formation of skin lesions in mice infected with methicillin-resis tant
Staphylococcus
auereus
(MRSA). The compound works by repressing a gene that allows the MRSA bacteria
cells
to communicate with one another.
Blocking
that communication prevents the cells from taking collective action, a
mechanism
known
as quorum quenching. “It disarms the MRSA bacteria, preventing it from
excreting
the
toxins it uses as weapons to damage tissues,“ Quave said. “The body's normal
immune
system then
stands a better chance of healing a wound.“
Source : The
Times of India
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