Painkillers can be Used to Fight Superbugs

Painkillers can be used as antibiotics to treat infections caused by superbugs, according to a new study.

According to researchers at University of Wollongong, several non-steroidal anti-inflammatory
drugs (NSAIDs) attack bacteria using a previously-unknown mechanism. The study shows that these drugs including carprofen, used to treat pain in dogs, could be agents against "superbugs" that have developed resistance to common antibiotics.

The study team said that the current research was an accident. They were actually trying to develop antibacterial agents that attack a critical protein in DNA replication and repair.

"We were developing inhibitors of a specific protein in bacteria called the DNA clamp, which is essential to ensure DNA replication and cell proliferation," explained Aaron Oakley, lead author of the paper.

DNA replication is an important step in cellular division. "These sliding DNA clamps, which are conserved across bacterial species, sit on the DNA like a ring to prevent other proteins which are essential for DNA replication and repair from wandering off. While testing specific compounds that would bind to the clamp and prevent it from interacting with its binding partners, we noticed that one compound had a similar molecular structure to carprofen, an anti-inflammatory widely used in veterinary medicine," Oakley added in a news release.

Carprofen is used to treat pain in dogs suffering from osteoarthritis or those recovering from injuries.

Researchers tested carprofen and two other painkillers called vedaprofen and bromfenac. They found the drugs targeted gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria such as the common pathogen Escherichia coli. The drugs prevented the bacteria from copying their DNA.

Oakley and team have also built a 3D model of the DNA clamp and the binding site. The models were built using 3D technology.

The study is in its preliminary stages. So, we won't be seeing patients with infections being given painkillers used in veterinary medicine any time soon. But, the study shows that we might still have a good chance to fight deadly superbugs.

Antibiotic resistant bacteria have become a huge threat to the healthcare industry, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The U.S. faces some real danger from methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Recently, CDC announced the rise of nightmare bacteria called carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae, which have become resistant to the last-resort antibiotics- carbapenems.

The study is published in the journal Chemistry & Biology.