The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 276 No 7401 p585
20 May 2006

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News summary

Novel class of antibiotics identified

A new antibiotic that demonstrates strong, broad-spectrum gram-positive antibacterial activity by selectively inhibiting cellular lipid biosynthesis has been discovered by researchers in the US (Nature 2006;441:358).

Platensimycin belongs to a previously unknown class of antibiotics derived from Streptomyces platensis.

Platensimycin targets an enzyme — beta-ketoacyl-acyl carrier protein synthase, also known as FabF — involved in fatty-acid biosynthesis, a key mechanism in the formation of cell membranes and bacterial surfaces. Researchers demonstrated that platensimycin eradicates Staphylococcus aureus infection in mice and, because of its mode of action, it shows no cross-resistance to other antibiotic-resistant strains tested, including methicillin-resistant S aureus, vancomycin-intermediate S aureus and vancomycin-resistant enterococci.

“Platensimycin is the most potent inhibitor reported for the FabF/B condensing enzymes, and is the only inhibitor of these targets that shows broad spectrum activity, in vivo efficacy and no observed toxicity,” say the researchers.