Abstract
Natural products may represent a rich source of new drugs. The enthusiasm toward this topic has recently been fueled by the 2015 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, awarded for the discovery of avermectin and artemisinin, natural products from Bacteria and Plantae, respectively, which have targeted one of the major global health issues, the parasitic diseases. Specifically, bacteria either living in the environment or colonizing our body may produce compounds of unexpected biomedical value with the potentiality to be employed as therapeutic drugs. In this review, the fascinating history of CNF1, a protein toxin produced by pathogenic strains of Escherichia coli, is divulged. Even if produced by bacteria responsible for a variety of diseases, CNF1 can behave as a promising benefactor to mankind. By modulating the Rho GTPases, this bacterial product plays a key role in organizing the actin cytoskeleton, enhancing synaptic plasticity and brain energy level, rescuing cognitive deficits, reducing glioma growth in experimental animals. These abilities strongly suggest the need to proceed with the studies on this odd drug in order to pave the way toward clinical trials.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 929-937 |
| Number of pages | 9 |
| Journal | Biomedicine and Pharmacotherapy |
| Volume | 101 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - May 1 2018 |
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Keywords
- Bacterial products
- Drug discovery
- Energy metabolism
- Memory
- Neurological disorders
- Synaptic plasticity
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Pharmacology
Cite this
New therapeutics from Nature : The odd case of the bacterial cytotoxic necrotizing factor 1. / Maroccia, Zaira; Loizzo, Stefano; Travaglione, Sara; Frank, Claudio; Fabbri, Alessia; Fiorentini, Carla.
In: Biomedicine and Pharmacotherapy, Vol. 101, 01.05.2018, p. 929-937.Research output: Contribution to journal › Review article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - New therapeutics from Nature
T2 - The odd case of the bacterial cytotoxic necrotizing factor 1
AU - Maroccia, Zaira
AU - Loizzo, Stefano
AU - Travaglione, Sara
AU - Frank, Claudio
AU - Fabbri, Alessia
AU - Fiorentini, Carla
PY - 2018/5/1
Y1 - 2018/5/1
N2 - Natural products may represent a rich source of new drugs. The enthusiasm toward this topic has recently been fueled by the 2015 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, awarded for the discovery of avermectin and artemisinin, natural products from Bacteria and Plantae, respectively, which have targeted one of the major global health issues, the parasitic diseases. Specifically, bacteria either living in the environment or colonizing our body may produce compounds of unexpected biomedical value with the potentiality to be employed as therapeutic drugs. In this review, the fascinating history of CNF1, a protein toxin produced by pathogenic strains of Escherichia coli, is divulged. Even if produced by bacteria responsible for a variety of diseases, CNF1 can behave as a promising benefactor to mankind. By modulating the Rho GTPases, this bacterial product plays a key role in organizing the actin cytoskeleton, enhancing synaptic plasticity and brain energy level, rescuing cognitive deficits, reducing glioma growth in experimental animals. These abilities strongly suggest the need to proceed with the studies on this odd drug in order to pave the way toward clinical trials.
AB - Natural products may represent a rich source of new drugs. The enthusiasm toward this topic has recently been fueled by the 2015 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, awarded for the discovery of avermectin and artemisinin, natural products from Bacteria and Plantae, respectively, which have targeted one of the major global health issues, the parasitic diseases. Specifically, bacteria either living in the environment or colonizing our body may produce compounds of unexpected biomedical value with the potentiality to be employed as therapeutic drugs. In this review, the fascinating history of CNF1, a protein toxin produced by pathogenic strains of Escherichia coli, is divulged. Even if produced by bacteria responsible for a variety of diseases, CNF1 can behave as a promising benefactor to mankind. By modulating the Rho GTPases, this bacterial product plays a key role in organizing the actin cytoskeleton, enhancing synaptic plasticity and brain energy level, rescuing cognitive deficits, reducing glioma growth in experimental animals. These abilities strongly suggest the need to proceed with the studies on this odd drug in order to pave the way toward clinical trials.
KW - Bacterial products
KW - Drug discovery
KW - Energy metabolism
KW - Memory
KW - Neurological disorders
KW - Synaptic plasticity
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U2 - 10.1016/j.biopha.2018.02.140
DO - 10.1016/j.biopha.2018.02.140
M3 - Review article
C2 - 29635902
AN - SCOPUS:85043455798
VL - 101
SP - 929
EP - 937
JO - Biomedicine and Pharmacotherapy
JF - Biomedicine and Pharmacotherapy
SN - 0753-3322
ER -