Indole Propionic Acid, an Unusual Antibiotic Produced by the Gut Microbiota, With Anti-inflammatory and Antioxidant Properties.

ABSTRACT: Most antibiotics are produced by soil microbes and typically interfere with macromolecular synthesis processes as their antibacterial mechanism of action. These natural products are often large and suffer from poor chemical tractability. Here, we discuss discovery, mechanism of action, and the therapeutic potentials of an unusual antibiotic, indole propionic acid (IPA). IPA is produced by the human gut microbiota. The molecule is small, chemically tractable, and targets amino acid biosynthesis. IPA is active against a broad spectrum of mycobacteria, including drug resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis and non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM). Interestingly, the microbiota-produced metabolite is detectable in the serum of healthy individuals, tuberculosis (TB) patients, and several anim

SUBMITTER: Negatu DA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7652848 | biostudies-literature | 2020

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature