Preprint Review Version 1 Preserved in Portico This version is not peer-reviewed

Reviving the Past for a Healthier Future: Ancient Molecules and Remedies as a Solution to the Antibiotic Crisis

Miguel Angel Díaz-Guerrero
,
Israel Castillo-Juárez
ORCID logo ,
Rimma Zurabian
,
Alejandra Valdez
ORCID logo ,
Kokila Kota
,
Yuki Hoshiko
,
Ekaprana Ramesh
,
Mariano Martínez Vazquez
ORCID logo ,
Corina Diana Ceapă
,
Mariel Hernandez-Garnica
,
Frederic Cadet
,
Rodolfo García Contreras
* ORCID logo
Version 1 : Received: 3 May 2024 / Approved: 6 May 2024 / Online: 6 May 2024 (08:17:00 CEST)

How to cite: Díaz-Guerrero, M. A.; Castillo-Juárez, I.; Zurabian, R.; Valdez, A.; Kota, K.; Hoshiko, Y.; Ramesh, E.; Martínez Vazquez, M.; Diana Ceapă, C.; Hernandez-Garnica, M.; Cadet, F.; García Contreras, R. Reviving the Past for a Healthier Future: Ancient Molecules and Remedies as a Solution to the Antibiotic Crisis. Preprints 2024, 2024050208. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202405.0208.v1 Díaz-Guerrero, M. A.; Castillo-Juárez, I.; Zurabian, R.; Valdez, A.; Kota, K.; Hoshiko, Y.; Ramesh, E.; Martínez Vazquez, M.; Diana Ceapă, C.; Hernandez-Garnica, M.; Cadet, F.; García Contreras, R. Reviving the Past for a Healthier Future: Ancient Molecules and Remedies as a Solution to the Antibiotic Crisis. Preprints 2024, 2024050208. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202405.0208.v1

Abstract

Available options to combat bacterial infections are getting scarce. We require innovative and imaginative approaches to enhance the identification and discovery of effective antimicrobials capable of combating bacteria resistant to multiple or all available drugs. These methods should either directly eliminate the resistant bacteria or influence their viability indirectly by inhibiting their virulence or reducing their resistance to antibacterial agents. One interesting approach is to analyze ancient remedies presumably used to treat bacterial infections, try formulating them, and test them against modern microbes. The field was recently named ancientbiotics. This approach allows us to take advantage of centuries of accumulated empirical knowledge, from several traditional medicines of various ancient cultures across the world. The strategy has already resulted in promising formulations to combat the ESKAPE group of nosocomial pathogens. Moreover, molecular de-extinction consists of genome analysis of extinct species in the search for useful antimicrobials, such as peptides. The de-extinction of simple organisms such as bacteriophages may eventually become a resource for novel tools to combat multidrug-resistant bacteria. In this review, we summarize and discuss the reported antimicrobial effects of ancient remedies and de-extinct molecules known to modern science, and discuss possible new strategies to further harness the potential of past remedies and molecules to help us fight the rise of superbugs.

Keywords

ancientbiotics; antimicrobial resistance; superbug solutions 

Subject

Biology and Life Sciences, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

Copyright: This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

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