New natural products to meet the antibiotic crisis: a personal journey

J Antibiot (Tokyo). 2019 Dec;72(12):890-898. doi: 10.1038/s41429-019-0224-6. Epub 2019 Aug 28.

Abstract

The use of natural products and their derivatives has evolved as a promising approach for the treatment of various infectious diseases, particularly to combat drug-resistant microbial strains. In addition, these natural products characterized by the presence of novel structures and mechanisms of action may provide guidance toward the development of potential new chemotherapies. In the present review, antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is briefly introduced and research focused on the identification and characterization of actinomycete metabolites for antimicrobial activity is discussed. Three compounds, i.e., walkmycin B, waldiomycin, and signamycin B, with novel mechanisms of action as histidine kinase inhibitors, were isolated from the metabolites of actinomycetes. New antituberculosis antibiotics, tuberlactomicin A and caprazamycins, were discovered, and amycolamicin was identified as an antimethicillin-resistant Staphylococus aureus antibiotic. The discovery of these compounds encourages the discovery and investigation of more natural products active against antimicrobial-resistant species, thus providing scaffold for the development of effective drugs against various AMR species.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Actinobacteria / chemistry
  • Actinobacteria / metabolism*
  • Anthracenes / isolation & purification
  • Anthracenes / pharmacology
  • Anti-Bacterial Agents / chemistry
  • Anti-Bacterial Agents / pharmacology*
  • Antitubercular Agents / chemistry
  • Antitubercular Agents / pharmacology
  • Biological Products / pharmacology*
  • Drug Resistance, Microbial / drug effects
  • Enterococcus / drug effects
  • Histidine Kinase / antagonists & inhibitors
  • Protein Kinase Inhibitors / pharmacology*
  • Quinones / isolation & purification
  • Quinones / pharmacology
  • Staphylococcus aureus / drug effects

Substances

  • Anthracenes
  • Anti-Bacterial Agents
  • Antitubercular Agents
  • Biological Products
  • Protein Kinase Inhibitors
  • Quinones
  • waldiomycin
  • walkmycin B
  • Histidine Kinase