A study published in Nature Communications reports that a medication used to lower blood pressure may be effective in treating methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), according to an April 17 announcement. The research highlights the potential of repurposing existing drugs to combat infections caused by antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
Antibiotic-resistant infections are a significant health concern, leading to more than 2.8 million cases and over 35,000 deaths annually in the United States. The difficulty in treating these infections and the high cost and lengthy process of developing new antibiotics have prompted scientists to look for alternative solutions.
Eleftherios Mylonakis, M.D., Ph.D., chair of the Houston Methodist Charles W. Duncan Jr. Department of Medicine and corresponding author on the study, said, "MRSA commonly causes infections in both hospitals and the community. It infects people in different ways and can survive even when antibiotics are used, which makes treatment extremely difficult." He continued, "Scientists around the world are looking at various ways to provide treatment options outside of established antibiotics. The high cost of developing new drugs, and the time it takes to do so, led our team to explore the possibility of using existing medications, approved for other uses, to treat bacterial infections."
The researchers identified Candesartan cilexetil (CC), a common blood pressure medication already approved for clinical use, as having properties that could disrupt bacterial membranes. Laboratory tests conducted by Dr. Nagendran Tharmalingam and his team showed that CC could kill MRSA bacteria at various growth stages by interfering with cell membrane function and reducing biofilm formation—clusters of bacteria that are especially hard to treat.
The study involved collaboration among researchers from several institutions including University of Miami; Harvard Medical School; Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary; Baylor College of Medicine; Vanderbilt University; Boston Children's Hospital; Brown University; Providence College; Massachusetts General Hospital.
