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In Vitro Analyses of Anti-Mycobacterial Compounds for Future Tuberculosis Therapy

Dhanasekar, Dharshana (2025) MOBN02 20242
Degree Projects in Molecular Biology
Popular Abstract
Targeting TB: Scope of Anti-Mycobacterial Compounds

Tuberculosis (TB) continues to be one of the leading cause of death until today. The disease has persisted since antiquity and remains a concern despite the advancement in its treatment. The main problem arises from antibiotic resistance developed by Mycobacterium tuberculosis and the complex nature of the bacteria which has developed mechanisms to make the antibiotics ineffective. Further the use of antibiotics also resulted in adverse side-effects, which is a major concern to be addressed. Alternative therapy is required in order to overcome the limitations and be effective against treating the disease.

The aim of the thesis project is to investigate an alternative therapy for... (More)
Targeting TB: Scope of Anti-Mycobacterial Compounds

Tuberculosis (TB) continues to be one of the leading cause of death until today. The disease has persisted since antiquity and remains a concern despite the advancement in its treatment. The main problem arises from antibiotic resistance developed by Mycobacterium tuberculosis and the complex nature of the bacteria which has developed mechanisms to make the antibiotics ineffective. Further the use of antibiotics also resulted in adverse side-effects, which is a major concern to be addressed. Alternative therapy is required in order to overcome the limitations and be effective against treating the disease.

The aim of the thesis project is to investigate an alternative therapy for TB, which includes the use of anti-mycobacterial compounds. These compounds can be classified into many types, but the study focuses on organo-metallic complexes. Organo-metallic complexes are those which consist of a metal atom in the center and connected to organic compounds. The complexes used in this study consist of a Ruthenium metal with variations in the halogen atom present in the complexes. Three complexes - RuMeOF, RuMeOBr and RuMeOI were investigated in the study for their activity against tuberculosis through in-vitro analyses.

The complexes were analyzed for their anti-mycobacterial property through determining their minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC). Cytoxicity effect of the complexes against human macrophages were also studied. Further their interactions with first line TB drugs and their stability in human serum were also determined.

From the study it was understood that all the three complexes inhibited the bacteria at higher concentrations and also had moderate-low levels of toxicity. Further the complexes demonstrated no antagonistic effect with first line TB drugs- ethambutol and isoniazid. The interaction showed that less concentration of complexes were required in combination to inhibit the bacteria when compared to their individual use. Additionally the complexes were stable in human serum, throughout the concentrations for which they were tested. Notable activity can be seen by the complex RuMeOF which had a lower MIC value, less toxicity and serum stability when compared to the other two complexes.

The study supported the potential use of organo-metallic complexes in TB treatment. Further analyses which includes, In-vivo study of the complexes, determining their mode of action and also studying the effect of the complexes against a broader spectrum of mycobacterial strains can help to evaluate their efficacy. Hence, this study presents an preliminary analysis for the scope of antimycobacterial-compounds, continuing this journey forward can have a potential for the compounds to serve as a foundation for future tuberculosis therapy.


Master’s Degree Project-Molecular Biology 45 credits, 2025
Department of Biology, Lund University

Advisor: Gabriela Godaly
BMC, Lund - Division of Microbiology, Immunology and Glycobiology (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Dhanasekar, Dharshana
supervisor
organization
course
MOBN02 20242
year
type
H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
subject
language
English
id
9188404
date added to LUP
2025-05-14 15:03:51
date last changed
2025-05-14 15:03:51
@misc{9188404,
  author       = {{Dhanasekar, Dharshana}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{In Vitro Analyses of Anti-Mycobacterial Compounds for Future Tuberculosis Therapy}},
  year         = {{2025}},
}