RETRACTED: Targeting Mycobacterial Enzymes with Natural Products

Abstract

Tuberculosis (TB) is a recurring threat to contemporary civilization. It affects not only those within developing countries, but has also appeared again in places where it was once considered eradicated. TB co-infection in patients infected by HIV is, at the time of writing, the most common cause of death. In the field of searching for new antimycobacterial drug leads, compounds of natural origin still remain a promising source. The review is intended to gather information about natural products (metabolites of plants, fungi, bacteria, and marine sponges) that show activity against mycobacterial enzymes. Here, natural metabolites are presented as being inhibitors/activators of the mycobacterial enzymes involved in mycobacterial growth in vitro (ClpC1, ClpP, MurE ligase, mycothiol S-conjugate amidase, β-ketoacyl-ACP synthase, InhA) and in vivo, as regards the host cell (PtpB). Each enzyme is briefly described so as to generate an understanding of its role in mycobacterial growth and engender a perception of the mechanism of action of the studied natural compounds. Furthermore, after the introduction of the enzyme, its inhibitors are listed and exactly characterized.

Keywords: Mycobacterium tuberculosis; enzyme targeting; mycobacterial enzymes; natural products.