Having studied the tobacco plant, scientists have come to the conclusion that it can save humanity from deadly pathogenic bacteria.
The world desperately needs a completely new type of antibacterial drug as bacteria have begun to actively adapt to all existing antibiotics.
Researchers at the University of La Trobe have discovered a peptide in a tobacco flower that could become a new generation of antibiotics. Perhaps it is this antibiotic that saves all of humanity from deadly and resistant bacteria.
At the moment, scientists are actively looking for new chemicals that could form the basis for the creation of effective antibacterial drugs. If we do not seek and do not search for them, we risk returning to the era of "medieval medicine".
"Infectious diseases are a serious and global problem for all of humanity," says Mark Houlett, author of the new study.
“Antibiotic resistance will ultimately deplete existing effective drugs. In this regard, we are simply obliged to search for new drugs."
The search goes to the most unusual places with the study of the most unusual materials, such as rattlesnake venom, platypus milk, berries, honey, maple syrup, human breast milk, mushrooms and even frog skin.
Now scientists are going to add tobacco flowers to this list. The point is that the tobacco plant protects itself from infections by producing antifungal molecules. A team of Australian scientists was able to extract a peptide from tobacco that can act as an antibacterial agent for human use.
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