Sarecycline Drug can Treat Acne

Sarecycline, a drug with a unique chemical structure, makes it effective to treat acne, reports a new study. The findings of the study are published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Their new study is the most detailed biological analysis to date for sarecycline, one of a number of tetracycline antibiotics (such as doxycycline and minocycline) used to treat acne.

‘Sarecycline and other tetracyclines treat acne by inhibiting bacterial protein synthesis.’

They found that unlike other tetracycline drugs, sarecycline binds to messenger RNA (mRNA) -- molecules within a cell that provides a code for making proteins -- in bacterial ribosomes. Ribosomes, found in all living cells, link amino acids together.

Sarecycline block ribosome function in Cutibacterium acnes, the pathogenic bacterium in acne.

"We show that the structure of sarecycline matters," said Dr. Christopher Bunick, associate professor of dermatology at Yale and co-corresponding author of the study. "This mode of action has never been seen before in this class of antibiotics, and suggests that sarecycline has unique properties among the tetracycline class."

Importantly, the researchers found an explanation for why sarecycline has such a low drug-resistance profile, boosting its effectiveness. Sarecycline thwarts TetM, a ribosome guardian protein that protects bacteria from outside interference.

Bunick and his team said the broader implication of the study is that structural knowledge of tetracycline compounds could be used to engineer better antibiotics.

"This could result in therapies with better or longer-lasting efficacy, fewer side effects, and lower drug resistance," Bunick said. "Future agents could be used not just in acne, but potentially in other skin disorders and infections as well."

Source: Eurekalert