Biologists pick the most effective and safe antibiotic against acne 22:43

Scientists at Yale University have discovered a mechanism that allows the antibiotic sarecycline to fight acne-causing bacteria and prevent them from developing resistance. Research published Nucleic Acids Research.

Biologists are working on sarecycline, a narrow-spectrum antibiotic that targets bacteria Cutibacterium acnes. According to most doctors, this microbe causes acne and contributes to skin inflammation. But no one knows the exact mechanisms that allow sarecycline to specifically kill this bacterium.

working with bacteria C. acne It is difficult because it lives in the hair follicles in an almost oxygen-free environment and dies on contact with air. Scientists have developed a special anaerobic chamber for growing cells C acne.

This allowed them to study the structure of the ribosome for the first time. C. acne – machinery for protein production in the cell. Most antibiotics aim to destroy it. As the scientists found, unlike other antibiotics, sarecycline binds to not one but two active sites on the bacterial ribosome. To develop antibiotic resistance, bacteria change the structure of their ribosomes. Making one change is easy, but making two changes is much more difficult. Therefore, ceracycline rarely leads to the development of resistance in bacteria.

The discovery will make it possible in the future to develop more targeted and safer antibiotics that minimize the risk of developing resistant bacteria.

Acne occurs in more than 85% of teenagers and young adults. To combat it, dermatologists prescribe more antibiotics than any other doctor. Overuse of antibiotics can lead to drug-resistant bacteria. It can also be harmful to the microbiome of the skin and gastrointestinal tract, increasing the risk of chronic health problems. Data suggest that it may take up to two years for the gastrointestinal microbiome to recover after short-term use of broad-spectrum antibiotics.