Fagoterapia como alternativa ao uso dos antibióticos convencionais
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Data
2014
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Nas últimas décadas, a investigação de antibióticos com novos mecanismos de acção, tem vindo a ser motivada pela contínua emergência de estirpes bacterianas multirresistentes. No entanto, nos últimos anos esse desenvolvimento tem vindo a abrandar, o que representa um grave problema de saúde pública.
Antes da era dos antibióticos a fagoterapia representava a terapêutica de primeira linha no tratamento de infecções bacterianas. Como a ausência de recursos impossibilitava a compreensão dos mecanismos de acção moleculares do fago, a fagoterapia era apenas sustentada pelo conhecimento empírico. A ausência de conhecimento associada ao início da era dos antibióticos foram condições suficientes para que a terapêutica fágica fosse posta de parte, à excepção de alguns países da Europa do Leste.
De acordo com a literatura disponibilizada por estes países, vários têm sido os casos de sucesso no tratamento de infecções bacterianas, incluindo infecções causadas por estirpes multirresistentes aos antibióticos convencionais.
No entanto, contrariamente aos ensaios clínicos, a maioria destes estudos omite informação crítica que impossibilita a interpretação dos respectivos resultados.
Actualmente, as novas ferramentas oferecidas pelos avanços biotecnológicos possibilitam não só a compreensão do mecanismo de infecção bacteriana como também permitem compreender melhor a interacção entre os bacteriófagos e o organismo humano.
Como tal, no futuro, a fagoterapia pode ser considerada uma alternativa efectiva para solucionar os casos críticos de multirresistência bacteriana aos antibióticos convencionais.
In the past few decades, research on novel antibiotic drugs has been motivated by continuous outbreaks of bacterial resistance, by targeting multiple targets within bacteria. However, this development has come to a halt in recent years, which raises important public health concerns. Phage therapy, as an effective measure to counter bacterial infection, proceeds the usage of antibiotic drugs to treat bacterial infections. However, at such point in time there were no techniques available to allow the understanding of the molecular mechanisms of bacteriophage action, rendering the process almost entirely empirical. Therefore, these were almost entirely set aside as therapeutic agents at the dawn of the conventional antibiotic era, with the exception of some eastern European countries. From the remaining reports of the usage of phage therapy to treat humans contaminated with multiple bacterial strains, including multi-drug resistant strains, several success cases exist. However, such reports do not account as clinical trials due to the lack of critical information, rendering the results difficult to interpret. Taking advantage of more recent molecular biology tools it may be possible to properly understand the phage mechanisms of bacterial infection. Simultaneously, it is also possible to access the previously unknown safety and human host interaction issues. Therefore, these can eventually be considered in the future as an effective alternative to solve critical cases of bacterial resistance to conventional antibiotics.
In the past few decades, research on novel antibiotic drugs has been motivated by continuous outbreaks of bacterial resistance, by targeting multiple targets within bacteria. However, this development has come to a halt in recent years, which raises important public health concerns. Phage therapy, as an effective measure to counter bacterial infection, proceeds the usage of antibiotic drugs to treat bacterial infections. However, at such point in time there were no techniques available to allow the understanding of the molecular mechanisms of bacteriophage action, rendering the process almost entirely empirical. Therefore, these were almost entirely set aside as therapeutic agents at the dawn of the conventional antibiotic era, with the exception of some eastern European countries. From the remaining reports of the usage of phage therapy to treat humans contaminated with multiple bacterial strains, including multi-drug resistant strains, several success cases exist. However, such reports do not account as clinical trials due to the lack of critical information, rendering the results difficult to interpret. Taking advantage of more recent molecular biology tools it may be possible to properly understand the phage mechanisms of bacterial infection. Simultaneously, it is also possible to access the previously unknown safety and human host interaction issues. Therefore, these can eventually be considered in the future as an effective alternative to solve critical cases of bacterial resistance to conventional antibiotics.
Descrição
Orientação: Pablo Tavares Pereira
Palavras-chave
FARMACOLOGIA, FAGOTERAPIA, INFEÇÕES BACTERIANAS, BACTERIÓFAGOS, ANTIBIÓTICOS, PHARMACOLOGY, PHAGE THERAPY, BACTERIAL INFECTIONS, BACTERIOPHAGES, ANTIBIOTICS, MESTRADO INTEGRADO EM CIÊNCIAS FARMACÊUTICAS, CIÊNCIAS FARMACÊUTICAS, PHARMACEUTICAL SCIENCES