Blood of crocodile cure infections resistant to drugs

Biochemists reported in Louisiana today during the 235th annual meeting of the American Chemical Society, although crocodiles are still famous for attacks on humans and animals, they is holding a new role with the task of saving people in the medical field.

They described that the blood protein of crocodile is a rich source of antibiotics to combat infectious diseases related to diabetic ulcers, severe burns, or resistant viruses. resistance to conventional medicines.

This is also the first study to study the details of antibacterial function and discovered many promising applications of antibiotic protein in alligator blood. Among them, scientists said that the antibiotic blood protein in crocodiles could resist Candida albicans, which is a dangerous condition that occurs in AIDS patients and transplant recipients with immune systems. weaken.

American crocodilebloodis a rich source of antibiotics to fight deadly viruses or infectious diseases.(Photo: Courtesy of US Fish & Wildlife Service)

The co-author of the study is Dr. Mark Merchant - a biochemist at McNeese State University in Lake Charles, La. - said: 'We are very interested in the antibacterial and antifungal potential of crocodile blood proteins. One day the patients will be able to be treated with crocodile blood products' .

Previous studies by Dr. Merchant showed that alligators have an unusually strong immune system compared to humans. Unlike us, alligators can resist microorganisms like fungi, viruses or bacteria without having to specifically access them. Scientists believe that this is an adaptive trait that helps crocodiles recover from their injuries quickly because they often have to shed their blood after the territorial wars.

Along with Kermit Murray and Lancia Darville (Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge), Merchant and his colleagues collected blood samples of American alligators. Then they separate white blood cells against disease ( leucocyte cells ) and extract protein flexibly from those cells.

Through experiments, only a small amount of extracted protein can kill many types of bacteria; including MRSA virus (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) - a dead-resistant bacterium of some antibiotics is gradually spreading from health care facilities to the community. This bacterium is more resistant to many drugs and causes thousands of deaths each year.

Protein in crocodile blood can also kill six of eight different strains of Candida albicans . Previous research has also shown that the ability of crocodile protein in the blood can be used in the treatment of HIV - the virus that causes the AIDS epidemic.

Scientists continue to work on finding the exact antibacterial proteins and determining which proteins are most effective in treating different types of bacteria. According to scientists' estimates, the extracted blood crocodile may contain at least four types of substances with many applications.

With chemical structures in hand, scientists can embark on the production of antifungal and bacterial drugs (including pills and creams) to prevent infection. Merchant said the ointment could be used for certain parts of the body. Crocodile blood-based creams can be used to apply ulcers to the feet of diabetics to help them avoid infections that may lead to surgery to remove legs. This cream can also be applied to burn patients to localize the damaged skin until they heal.

Merchant revealed that these proteins could be called alligacin . If follow-up studies are positive, new drugs can be marketed within five to ten years. However, scientists cautiously note that until that time, it is best that we should not create our heirloom remedies with alligator blood because fresh, untreated crocodile blood can make you feeling unwell or even life threatening if you are injected into your body.

Also according to Dr. Merchant, similar antimicrobial agents were also discovered in the same family as the American crocodile, the African crocodile. In the future, he plans to study blood samples of American alligators and African crocodiles around the world to test their disease resistance potential. The State of Louisiana and the National Science Foundation funded this study.