Antibacterial activity of nonantibiotics is orthogonal to standard antibiotics. (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38484036/)

These scientists wanted to learn more about how some nonantibiotic drugs can act like antibiotics and harm the good bacteria in our bodies. They tested 200 different drugs to see if they could kill a type of bacteria called Escherichia coli. They used a special method to look at how each drug interacted with the bacteria's genes.

By studying 2 million interactions between genes and drugs, the scientists found that antibiotics grouped together based on how they work, but nonantibiotics didn't group with them. Some nonantibiotics did group together, which could mean they have similar targets that could be used to create new antibiotics.

The scientists also looked at how the bacteria's efflux systems, which help them get rid of toxins, responded to both antibiotics and nonantibiotics. They found that these systems can affect both types of drugs, which suggests that nonantibiotics could make bacteria resistant to antibiotics.

Overall, the scientists discovered that some nonantibiotic drugs can act like antibiotics and affect our bodies' good bacteria. They also found potential new targets for creating new antibiotics to fight harmful bacteria.

Noto Guillen M., Li C., Rosener B., Mitchell A. Antibacterial activity of nonantibiotics is orthogonal to standard antibiotics. Science. 2024 Apr 5;384(6691):93-100. doi: 10.1126/science.adk7368. Epub 2024 Mar 14.