Copper-boosting compounds: a novel concept for antimycobacterial drug discovery

Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 2013 Feb;57(2):1089-91. doi: 10.1128/AAC.01781-12. Epub 2012 Dec 17.

Abstract

We and others recently identified copper resistance as important for virulence of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Here, we introduce a high-throughput screening assay for agents that induce a copper hypersensitivity phenotype in M. tuberculosis and demonstrate that such copper-boosting compounds are effective against replicating and nonreplicating M. tuberculosis strains.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Antitubercular Agents / pharmacology*
  • Copper / pharmacology*
  • Drug Design
  • High-Throughput Screening Assays / methods*
  • Microbial Sensitivity Tests
  • Mycobacterium tuberculosis / drug effects*
  • Mycobacterium tuberculosis / pathogenicity
  • Phenanthrolines / pharmacology
  • Trace Elements / pharmacology
  • Tuberculosis
  • Virulence Factors

Substances

  • Antitubercular Agents
  • Phenanthrolines
  • Trace Elements
  • Virulence Factors
  • Copper
  • neocuproine
  • bathocuproine