The safe and widely used acesulfame-K could be repurposed as a superbug-fighting agent.
Artificial sweeteners have been long been the subject of heated debate.
While many swear by their use for weight loss, blood sugar control and minimising dental decay, there is also a growing body of evidence that suggests they interfere with insulin sensitivity and the gut microbiome.
Beyond their controversial reputation as sugar substitutes, however, London researchers have discovered their surprising effectiveness against multi-drug resistant bacteria.
Inspired by recent studies identifying the antimicrobial properties of chemicals found in plant-based foods such as fruits, vegetables and tea, a team of scientists at Brunel University investigated whether artificial sweeteners used in sugar-free sodas, yogurts and desserts could produce the same effect.
They screened a panel of common additives to assess their ability to inhibit the growth of two “priority pathogens” defined by the WHO as most urgently needing new antibiotic treatments, the multi-drug resistant pathogen Acinetobacter baumannii and the antibiotic resistant pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa.
Their findings, published in the journal Molecular Medicine, showed that popular sweeteners saccharin, cyclamate and acesulfame-K (Ace-K), all inhibited the growth of A. baumannii and P. aeruginosa when applied to “a novel ex vivo porcine skin wound model” (we won’t ask).
Ace-K was found to be particularly effective as an antimicrobial. Not only did it completely halt the growth of both bacteria on its own, when used in conjunction with common antibiotics it also made them significantly more effective – it “resentised” the resistant bacteria to the antibiotics so lower doses were needed to kill them.
Using differential RNA sequencing, the team found that Ace-K’s mechanism of action was “bulge-mediated cell lysis”, which sounds very unpleasant for the bacteria. The sweetener also inhibitied biofilm formation in A. baumanii and disrupted existing biofilms.
According to the authors, the results show the potential for novel treatments combating antibiotic resistance which are safe and widely available.
“Normally it takes billions of dollars and decades to develop a new antibiotic drug, whereas we found a compound which can not only fight the pathogenic bacteria but also reverse its resistance to already existing antibiotics,” lead author Dr Ronan McCarthy told media.
“With this work, we have found a potential weapon that can be used in the war against superbugs,” he said.
Which should also be the slogan for Coca-Cola’s next ad campaign.
If you catch something infectious, cough it over to penny@medicalrepublic.com.au.
