Dr. Samantha McLean, School of Science and Technology, Nottingham Trent University
Tuesday 29th November, 1.00 p.m., Stacey Lecture Theatre 1
A recent report has stated that there will be up to 10 million extra deaths annually worldwide by 2050 due to antimicrobial resistance. This possibility of a “post-antibiotic era” in the 21st century, in which common infections may kill, has prompted research into radically new antimicrobials. Although CO is a respiratory poison, it has “come of age” since the discovery that CO is a cytoprotective molecule with vasodilatory, anti-inflammatory, anti-apoptotic, and anti-proliferative properties. Due to the inherent difficulties of delivering CO gas systemically CO-releasing molecules (CORMs), mostly metal carbonyl compounds, have been developed for therapeutic CO delivery in animals. More recent research has discovered that CORM compounds can also be potent antimicrobial agents. Certain CORMs inhibit growth and respiration, reduce viability, and release CO to intracellular haems, as would be predicted, but their actions are more complex, as revealed by transcriptomic datasets and modeling. This makes it improbable that CO delivery alone is the sole basis of the antimicrobial effects of CORMs and highlights the need to evaluate the properties of each individual compound. Future CORM development can thus progress by tailoring CORMs to the therapeutic requirements demanded from specific infections. In the post-antibiotic era, there appears to be potential for adjuvant/combination therapy in which CORMs can minimize usage of established antibiotics or reduce the concentrations needed to treat antibiotic-resistant “superbugs.”