A team of researchers from Spain and Latin America have synthesised two iron compounds that inhibit the in vitro growth of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the bacteria that causes tuberculosis. Due their low level of toxicity in mammalian cells, the compounds could be developed for use therapeutic agents and hospital disinfectants.
The researchers from the Universidad de Navarra, Spain, the Universidad de la República, Uruguay, the Universidad de São Paulo, Brazil and the Universidad Nacional de La Plata, Argentina have shown the compounds inhibit the growth of M. tuberculosis in vitro.
An advantage of the iron compounds is that they show low toxicity in mammalian cells The study, published this month by the Journal of Inorganic Biochemistry uses iron atoms to join organic molecules derived from quinoxaline, forming compounds that act as bactericides, killing the bacteria or bacteriostatic agents, which prevent bacteria from reproducing. The organic molecules were synthesised at the Universidad de Navarra.
References
Design of novel iron compounds as potential therapeutic agents against tuberculosisTarallo, M.B. et al.
Journal of Inorganic Biochemistry 104 (11): 1164-1170, November 2010
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jinorgbio.2010.07.005
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