Madecassic Acid Stops Drug-Resistant E. Coli
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- University of Kent researchers found that madecassic acid, derived from Centella asiatica, stops antibiotic-resistant E. coli by binding to the cytochrome bd complex—a bacterial respiration protein that humans and animals don't have
- Madecassic acid works by disrupting the cytochrome bd oxidase system bacteria rely on to survive during infection, offering a mechanism distinct from existing antibiotics
- Working with University College London (UCL), researchers created three chemically modified versions of the compound—extracted from a Vietnamese plant sample—with one variant capable of killing E. coli at higher concentrations
- The study, published in RSC Medicinal Chemistry, lands as antimicrobial resistance is projected to cause 39 million deaths globally between 2025 and 2050
- Dr. Mark Shepherd, lead author and Reader in Microbial Biochemistry at Kent, said the work shows how "contemporary research approaches can reveal the mechanisms of action" behind plant-based medicines
- Beyond antibiotics, the findings could illuminate how madecassic acid interacts with the skin's natural bacteria when applied topically in skincare products
Why it matters: A plant-derived compound that can be chemically modified to attack a protein system unique to bacteria—and absent in humans—offers a rare template for antibiotics that pathogens cannot easily resist. With antimicrobial resistance projected to cause 39 million deaths between 2025 and 2050, a novel-mechanism lead extracted from a natural source carries real weight for a drug pipeline starved of new approaches.
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