Novel strategies based on natural products and synthetic derivatives to overcome resistance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
Adelina-Gabriela Niculescu, Georgiana Ramona Mük, Speranta Avram, Ilinca Margareta Vlad, Carmen Limban, Diana Nuta, Alexandru Mihai Grumezescu, Mariana-Carmen Chifiriuc
Author Information
Adelina-Gabriela Niculescu: Research Institute of the University of Bucharest, University of Bucharest, 90 Panduri Road, Bucharest, Romania; Department of Science and Engineering of Oxide Materials and Nanomaterials, National University of Science and Technology Politehnica Bucharest, 011061, Bucharest, Romania. Electronic address: adelina.niculescu@upb.ro.
Georgiana Ramona Mük: Faculty of Biology, University of Bucharest, Splaiul Independenței 91-95, Bucharest, R-050095, Romania; St. Stephen's Pneumoftiziology Hospital, Șoseaua Ștefan cel Mare 11, Bucharest, 020122, Romania. Electronic address: mukramonageorgiana@yahoo.com.
Speranta Avram: Faculty of Biology, University of Bucharest, Splaiul Independenței 91-95, Bucharest, R-050095, Romania. Electronic address: speranta.avram@bio.unibuc.ro.
Ilinca Margareta Vlad: Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, "Carol Davila" University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 6 Traian Vuia, 020956, Bucharest, Romania. Electronic address: ilinca.vlad@umfcd.ro.
Carmen Limban: Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, "Carol Davila" University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 6 Traian Vuia, 020956, Bucharest, Romania. Electronic address: carmen.limban@umfcd.ro.
Diana Nuta: Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, "Carol Davila" University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 6 Traian Vuia, 020956, Bucharest, Romania. Electronic address: diana.nuta@umfcd.ro.
Alexandru Mihai Grumezescu: Research Institute of the University of Bucharest, University of Bucharest, 90 Panduri Road, Bucharest, Romania; Department of Science and Engineering of Oxide Materials and Nanomaterials, National University of Science and Technology Politehnica Bucharest, 011061, Bucharest, Romania. Electronic address: agrumezescu@upb.ro.
Mariana-Carmen Chifiriuc: Research Institute of the University of Bucharest, University of Bucharest, 90 Panduri Road, Bucharest, Romania; Faculty of Biology, University of Bucharest, Splaiul Independenței 91-95, Bucharest, R-050095, Romania. Electronic address: carmen.chifiriuc@unibuc.ro.
One of the biggest health challenges of today's world is the emergence of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), which renders conventional therapeutics insufficient and urgently demands the generation of novel antimicrobial strategies. Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tuberculosis), the pathogen causing tuberculosis (TB), is among the most successful bacteria producing drug-resistant infections. The versatility of M. tuberculosis allows it to evade traditional anti-TB agents through various acquired and intrinsic mechanisms, rendering TB among the leading causes of infectious disease-related mortality. In this context, researchers worldwide focused on establishing novel approaches to address drug resistance in M. tuberculosis, developing diverse alternative treatments with varying effectiveness and in different testing phases. Overviewing the current progress, this paper aims to briefly present the mechanisms involved in M. tuberculosis drug-resistance, further reviewing in more detail the under-development antibiotics, nanotechnological approaches, and natural therapeutic solutions that promise to overcome current treatment limitations.
