Study Highly effective natural antibiotic discovered in wasp venom

Contains wasp venom solution for combating antibiotic-resistant germs?

Wasps are not the most popular visitor to outdoor activities. Many people are afraid of the painful stings or suffer from an insect sting allergy. But just these uninvited guests could soon save millions of lives. An American research team has developed from the wasp venom of a South American wasp species a bactericidal agent that is non-toxic to humans and may be suitable as a new antibiotic.

The poison of wasps and bees kills bacteria, but is also toxic to humans. Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have succeeded in modifying the toxin so that it no longer has a toxic effect in humans. However, the antimicrobial properties are retained. Tests showed that the drug even killed antibiotic-resistant germs. The study results have recently been published in the renowned journal "Nature Communications Biology".

In the venom of a South American wasp species could hide the secret of a new antibiotic that reliably destroys resistant germs. (Kozorog / fotolia.com)

From poison to cure

"We have turned a toxic molecule into a molecule that is effective in the treatment of infectious diseases," says study author Dr. Cesar de la Fuente-Nunez in the press release on the study results. The research team conducted a systematic analysis of the structure and function of the peptides found in the wasp venom and modified the properties so that they are no longer toxic to humans.

Oriented on the natural immune system

Peptides are compounds that contain amino acids. Many organisms, including humans, use them as part of the immune system to kill microbes in the body by destroying the bacterial cell membranes. In research, peptides have long been regarded as the basis for new drugs. The MIT research group has now been able to isolate a peptide from the wasp species Polybia paulista that is small enough to be used as an active ingredient against bacteria.

Wasp venom antibiotic destroys resistant bacterial strains

The MIT researchers test the drug in mice. The rodents were infected with the bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa. This bacterial strain can cause severe respiratory infections as well as other infectious diseases and is resistant to most antibiotics. As the study shows, the modified wasp peptide completely eliminated the bacterial strains in the mice.

Non-toxic to human cells

To simulate the effect on humans, researchers contacted the most effective peptide with infected human cells grown in the laboratory. "After four days, the peptide was able to completely eliminate the infection," says de la Fuente-Nunez. He has never seen such a result in any other experimental antibiotic.

Are peptides the antibiotics of the future??

"Some of the principles we learned here can be applied to other similar peptides that come from nature," the expert sums up. From this study one can derive many rules, which are also important for further peptide researches. (Vb)