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Washington: The researchers claimed that some antidepressants could possibly be used to treat a wide range of diseases caused by bacteria living inside cells.
The study published in the journal Life Science Alliance showed that antidepressants called FIASMA, including desipramine, amitriptyline and nortriptyline, stopped growth or destroyed four different intracellular bacterial pathogens in animal cultures and models. of tissues.
"Antibiotic options for diseases caused by intracellular bacteria are limited because many of these drugs can not penetrate the membranes of our cells – in essence, the bacteria are protected," said Jason Carlyon, principal investigator of the study.
Tetracycline antibiotics are most often prescribed to treat intracellular bacterial infections as they can cross cell membranes to reach microbes.
However, tetracyclines can cause allergic reactions in some patients and doctors advise against their use by pregnant women and children because of unwanted side effects. In addition, antibiotic resistance in some intracellular bacteria has been reported.
"It would be very beneficial to have a clbad of drugs to treat such diseases in patients for whom tetracyclines are contraindicated," Carlyon said.
"These medications may be an alternative to antibiotics or may be used in combination with them as adjunctive treatment for the treatment of infections generally requiring prolonged antibiotic therapy, such as those caused by Chlamydia pneumoniae and Coxiella burnetti" , added Carlyon.
Scientists have tested the susceptibility to FIASMA of four bacterial species responsible for human granulocytic anaplasmosis, a tick-borne disease that attacks white blood cells called neutrophils and can be fatal for immunocompromised individuals; Q fever, a debilitating pneumonic disease; and two chlamydia infections.
FIASMA ultimately disrupts how cholesterol, a key nutrient used by many intracellular pathogens, circulates in cells to alter bacteria's access to lipid.
Next, they extended their observations to demonstrate that treatment with FIASMA had killed the Q fever agent, Coxiella burnetii, and partially inhibited Chlamydia infections in cell culture.
"Since FIASMA has an influence on the trafficking of cholesterol in cells and cholesterol plays a role in many aspects of our biology, they have been used to treat a large number of diseases and conditions," said Carlyon.
He added that the effect of FIASMAs on intracellular cholesterol ultimately circumvents the need to target the bacteria directly.
"What's so exciting about this study is that the clbad of drugs we've been evaluating is targeting an enzyme in our cholesterol-regulating cells, not bacteria," Carlyon said.
"I do not think pathogens can develop resistance to this treatment because it targets a host path that they really need to grow and survive inside the body," Carlyon added. .
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