Anti-tuberculosis drug development via targeting the cell envelope of Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Xinyue Xu; Baoyu Dong; Lijun Peng; Chao Gao; Zhiqun He; Chuan Wang; Jumei Zeng

doi:10.3389/fmicb.2022.1056608

Anti-tuberculosis drug development via targeting the cell envelope of Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Front Microbiol. 2022 Dec 21:13:1056608. doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.1056608. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Xinyue Xu¹, Baoyu Dong¹, Lijun Peng¹, Chao Gao^{2

3}, Zhiqun He¹, Chuan Wang¹, Jumei Zeng¹

Affiliations

¹ West China-PUMC CC Chen Institute of Health, West China School of Public Health and West China Fourth Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China.
² State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China.
³ Laboratory of Human Diseases and Immunotherapies, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China.

Abstract

Mycobacterium tuberculosis possesses a dynamic cell envelope, which consists of a peptidoglycan layer, a mycolic acid layer, and an arabinogalactan polysaccharide. This envelope possesses a highly complex and unique structure representing a barrier that protects and assists the growth of M. tuberculosis and allows its adaptation to the host. It regulates the immune response of the host cells, causing their damage. Therefore, the cell envelope of M. tuberculosis is an attractive target for vaccine and drug development. The emergence of multidrug-resistant as well as extensively drug resistant tuberculosis and co-infection with HIV prevented an effective control of this disease. Thus, the discovery and development of new drugs is a major keystone for TB treatment and control. This review mainly summarizes the development of drug enzymes involved in the biosynthesis of the cell wall in M. tuberculosis, and other potential drug targets in this pathway, to provide more effective strategies for the development of new drugs.

Keywords: Mycobacterium tuberculosis; anti-tuberculosis drug; cell envelope; drug target; lead compounds.

Publication types

Review