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Researchers at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, have uncovered the potential in the digestive enzymes of cows to break down the “biofilms” of certain types of bacteria, which can limit the action of drugs.
The study published in the journal Nature holds relevance at a time when bacteria, which are resistant to drugs, are increasingly becoming a global health problem with South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa bearing the brunt of the deaths caused.
The tests were performed upon the bacterium Klebsiella pneumoniae, which is known for infecting patients in hospitals, causing issues such as pneumonia. According to IISc, a biofilm is secreted by this bacterium, which limits the entry of drugs, in the form of a “matrix”. This is strengthened by chains of sugar molecules called polysaccharides.
The research team noted in its published article that this “matrix” reduced the activity of immune cells and also increased the required antibiotic medicine dose by 1000 times in some cases. The team comprised Professor Dipshikha Chakravortty, Assistant Professor Debasis Das, Reshma Ramakrishnan, Kirti Parmar, Abhilash V Nair and Raju S Rajmani.
IISc said its team decided to develop a biocompatible strategy to break down the polysaccharides and disrupt the protective biofilm. “They realised that polysaccharide-degrading enzymes could serve the purpose and that a cow’s gut was the ideal place to look for them. The bovine gut harbours microbial enzymes that digest different kinds of complex polysaccharides,” it said in the statement.
The team’s looked into certain microbial enzymes that break down polysaccharides found in the food of cows, isolating one called GH B2 and synthesising it in a lab environment. The enzyme made the K pneumoniae bacteria more vulnerable to antibiotics, and also cured infected wounds in mice when used alongside antibiotics. The researchers also noted that there was less chance of bacteria becoming resistant to the enzyme, as it was not directly harming it but acting upon the matrix formed by it.