We would hope that the effectivity of MGO would remain unaltered even in a macrophage environment, but without actually conducting an experiment to test this, we would not know. We would predict that it would be less effective but not totally ineffective. We think this because the compound would still be able to go into the phage, but the phage possesses mechanisms to effectively kick the compound out of it with efflux pumps because the compound is not needed for the phage to survive.
We mainly explored MGO’s ability to eliminate gram-negative bacteria seeing as it has previously eliminated gram-negative bacteria in past studies and we wanted to observe MGO’s effectiveness in eliminating Salmonella Typhimurium specifically. That said, as we did our research, we did see a couple studies that did claim that MGO was effective in eliminating gram-positive bacteria. Of course, we would need to conduct an experiment to see if this claim is valid, but seeing as MGO was able to penetrate the protective outer lipid membrane of the gram negative bacteria, it would likely eliminate gram-positive bacteria just as effectively (if not more), seeing as gram-positive bacteria doesn’t have the advantage of having an outer lipid membrane to protect it.
Great job with your presentation!! Out of curiosity, was there another reason your group chose MGO (in addition to its previously-shown efficacy in eliminating certain bacteria)?
Thank you very much! We actually did not know about MGO’s antibacterial properties at first. As we were looking at compound libraries to determine our compound, we wanted to find a compound that could be easily accessed. Our first thought was honey, seeing as it is unofficially known as a common remedy for common illnesses. We ultimately decided on Manuka honey after researching it and its supposed health benefits. We wanted to see if there was a specific chemical or compound in the honey that contributed to these supposed health benefits. We eventually came across MGO as one of those compounds and after looking at studies supporting the efficacy of MGO, we settled on testing it out.
We would likely use the same method we did to find MGO, which were compound libraries. Compound libraries are essentially collections of information on different kinds of chemicals specifically, what properties they have, how they react in certain conditions or with other chemicals, etc. We would find chemicals that had properties similar to those that are in current antibiotics, do further research, and select a potential compound that way.
If this drug were to be effective in a living cell environment, it would be one step closer to getting an antibiotic. That said, there would still be many hurdles to jump through, one of which would be in vivo experiments. We would begin moving towards clinical trials where we could test the efficacy of doses in a living being, observe the manifestation of any side effects, etc. After observing the results of these tests, we would then decide whether or not to administer the antibiotic for common use.
How would the effectivity of MGO be altered by using an macrophage environment rather than the in vitro one conducted in your experiment?
We would hope that the effectivity of MGO would remain unaltered even in a macrophage environment, but without actually conducting an experiment to test this, we would not know. We would predict that it would be less effective but not totally ineffective. We think this because the compound would still be able to go into the phage, but the phage possesses mechanisms to effectively kick the compound out of it with efflux pumps because the compound is not needed for the phage to survive.
Do you have any thoughts on or did you read about MGO’s ability to eliminate gram-positive bacteria?
We mainly explored MGO’s ability to eliminate gram-negative bacteria seeing as it has previously eliminated gram-negative bacteria in past studies and we wanted to observe MGO’s effectiveness in eliminating Salmonella Typhimurium specifically. That said, as we did our research, we did see a couple studies that did claim that MGO was effective in eliminating gram-positive bacteria. Of course, we would need to conduct an experiment to see if this claim is valid, but seeing as MGO was able to penetrate the protective outer lipid membrane of the gram negative bacteria, it would likely eliminate gram-positive bacteria just as effectively (if not more), seeing as gram-positive bacteria doesn’t have the advantage of having an outer lipid membrane to protect it.
Great job with your presentation!! Out of curiosity, was there another reason your group chose MGO (in addition to its previously-shown efficacy in eliminating certain bacteria)?
Thank you very much! We actually did not know about MGO’s antibacterial properties at first. As we were looking at compound libraries to determine our compound, we wanted to find a compound that could be easily accessed. Our first thought was honey, seeing as it is unofficially known as a common remedy for common illnesses. We ultimately decided on Manuka honey after researching it and its supposed health benefits. We wanted to see if there was a specific chemical or compound in the honey that contributed to these supposed health benefits. We eventually came across MGO as one of those compounds and after looking at studies supporting the efficacy of MGO, we settled on testing it out.
I was curious how you would go about trying to find more potential antibiotic molecules if you had to find another candidate beside MGO?
We would likely use the same method we did to find MGO, which were compound libraries. Compound libraries are essentially collections of information on different kinds of chemicals specifically, what properties they have, how they react in certain conditions or with other chemicals, etc. We would find chemicals that had properties similar to those that are in current antibiotics, do further research, and select a potential compound that way.
What would be the future implications of this drug if it is effective in a living cell environment?
If this drug were to be effective in a living cell environment, it would be one step closer to getting an antibiotic. That said, there would still be many hurdles to jump through, one of which would be in vivo experiments. We would begin moving towards clinical trials where we could test the efficacy of doses in a living being, observe the manifestation of any side effects, etc. After observing the results of these tests, we would then decide whether or not to administer the antibiotic for common use.