Potential disease-fighting 'warheads' found in bacteria

Natural acids found in soil-dwelling bacteria have the potential to act as biological warheads, and could be used to develop more effective drugs, scientists say.

A study, published today in Nature Communications, suggests scientists could build better drugs by learning from bacteria-derived molecules called thiocarboxylic acids.

"We use natural products as an inspiration for chemistry, biology and drug discovery," said Ben Shen, professor at Scripps Research Institute in the US.

Thiocarboxylic acids are rare in nature and similar to lab-made molecules called carboxylic acids. Carboxylic acids are good "warheads" because they can home in on biological targets, making them a key ingredient in many antibiotics, heart disease medications, and more.

Researchers took a closer look at two natural products, platensimycin and platencin, that have been extensively investigated as potential antibiotics.'