Scientists of BelSU isolated mushroom enzymes to improve antibiotic properties

A team of young scientists led by Ulyana Krut', Associate Professor at the Department of Biotechnology and Microbiology, Candidate of Biological Sciences, studied the possibility of modifying antibiotics of different classes. The researchers have isolated the necessary enzymes from fungi that will help produce antibiotics with improved properties that defeat the resistance of microorganisms to them.

“A promising tool for drug modification are laccases, enzymes contained in mushrooms, which are used as biocatalysts for the synthesis and modification of various compounds due to their low cost and availability. To study the potential for antibiotic modification, we investigated the laccose lentinous bristle and lentinus tigrinus”, – noted Ulyana Aleksandrovna.

By studying the effect of fungal enzymes on different types of antibiotics – penicillin, cephalosporin, tetracycline, imidazole, and erythromycin – scientists found that laccase can modify penicillin antibiotics.

Scientists from Belgorod University are conducting research under the state assignment of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation in cooperation with colleagues from the G.K. Skryabin Institute of Biochemistry and Physiology of Microorganisms of the Russian Academy of Sciences. After receiving a pilot batch of enzymes for further testing, the researchers plan to scale up the technology.