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Inhibitors of fatty acid synthesis counter resistance to last-resort antibiotic colistin

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Colistin-resistant bacteria require fatty acid synthesis to maintain cell envelope homeostasis; disrupting fatty acid biosynthesis leads to the remodelling of phospholipid composition and decreases the fluidity of the cell envelope. Inhibitors of fatty acid biosynthesis resensitize bacteria to colistin, allowing for the treatment of colistin-resistant bacterial infections in mice.

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Fig. 1: Colistin and Debio1452-NH3, in combination, are efficacious against systemic infections in mice.

References

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This is a summary of: Carfrae, L. A. et al. Inhibiting fatty acid synthesis overcomes colistin resistance. Nat. Microbiol. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41564-023-01369-z (2023).

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Inhibitors of fatty acid synthesis counter resistance to last-resort antibiotic colistin. Nat Microbiol 8, 1006–1007 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41564-023-01384-0

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