March 24, 1822 marks the day that Mycobacterium tuberculosis (TB) made its debut through Dr. Robert Koch. This type of bacteria typically affects the lungs, and most treatments include a mixture of drugs, including antibiotics. With approximately nine million people affected by the disease in 2013, there has been an ongoing effort to develop and explore new drugs to combat the bacterium.
Most people’s immune systems effectively defend against TB. However, in some cases when the immune system is weakened, TB can overcome the body’s defenses and begin to spread outward from the lungs. Recently, researchers at Michigan State University have discovered the effectiveness of a compound typically used in glaucoma medication: ethoxzolamide.
Ethoxzolamide inhibits the activity of a compound in the eye responsible for secreting vitreous humor, the gel-like fluid between the lens and the retina. With high amounts of vitreous humor in the eye, increased pressure is placed on the optic nerve, which can cause blindness associated with glaucoma when the pressure passes a certain point.
The TB bacteria are sensitive to the surrounding pH levels of their environment, which can help them detect approaching immune cells. The scientists believe that ethoxzolamide prevents the bacteria from detecting these pH changes, in turn making them more vulnerable to being targeted by the immune system. In the study, when ethoxzolamide was introduced, the growth and replication of the TB bacterium was inhibited, preventing it from replicating and spreading in the living organism.
During the last decade, approximately 37 million lives were saved through treatments developed to fight TB. However, although this number is comforting, we still lost 1.5 million lives to the infectious nature of the bacterium in 2013 alone. There is still a great need for more effective medications to combat this prevalent issue. The discovery of glaucoma medication as a potential treatment option is a wonderful addition to our current arsenal of weapons against this disease.
Feature Image Source: Dboybaker
