Drug suppression of bacterial adhesion in respiratory infections

Abstract

The adhesion of bacteria on the mucosa of the respiratory tract is realized by the functioning of various mechanisms. One of them is the formation of thread-like protein organelles, known as pili (fimbriae or villi). Drugs with action directed at the mechanisms of adhesion of bacteria can prevent the development of the infectious process and the formation of biofilms. At the present time, numerous drugs are being developed, their action is aimed at suppressing the synthesis of various components of pili, and for which reason they are collectively known as pilicides. However, anti-adhesion therapy, despite obvious interest of scientists, is not used to treat bacterial infections. In all likelihood, the causes for the inade­quate use of antiadhesive drugs in bacterial infections are: 1) the multiplicity of bacterial adhesion molecules; 2) the dependence of adhesin production on the stage of the infectious process and the affected tissue of macroorganism; 3) the need for a high level of affinity in adhesion inhibitors. It can be assumed that further study of the direct mechanisms of specific interaction of bacterial adhesins with the cells of a macroorganism will undoubtedly allow the deve­lopment of new effective antiadhesive drugs that will be used for the treatment of bacterial infections in routine medical practice.

Keywords

• bacterial adhesion
• antiadhesive drugs
• bacterial infections