New "weapon" found against dangerous superbug

Medical breakthrough: scientists have found a new weapon against an invulnerable infection. An international group of researchers has discovered a compound that effectively destroys the gonorrhea pathogen, which is rapidly acquiring resistance to existing antibiotics. The results of this revolutionary research have been published in the prestigious journal Nature Microbiology.

A scientific team from the University of Konstanz and the University of Vienna discovered a completely new class of substances - alkylquinolones, which are natural molecules that bacteria use in natural competition for survival. The researchers focused on a synthetic variant of these compounds - 2-nonyl-4-quinolone-N-oxide (NQNO).

Laboratory experiments have shown that NQNO works on a unique principle - it destroys the electron transport chain in gonococcal cells, causing critical internal stress and triggering the bacterium's self-destruction mechanism. The key advantage of the new compound is its selectivity: the substance is safe for human cells and does not disrupt the balance of beneficial microflora.

Tests on animal models have demonstrated the high effectiveness of the new treatment method. The scientists also managed to further improve the properties of NQNO through targeted chemical modification.

The discovery is particularly valuable considering that the World Health Organization has included Neisseria gonorrhoeae in the list of priority pathogens due to this bacterium's alarming ability to rapidly develop resistance to existing treatment methods. The new compound could be a decisive breakthrough in the fight against this dangerous infection, especially in the context of the global spread of difficult-to-treat strains.