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Targeting Bacterial Toxins
Author(s) -
Ivarsson Mattias E.,
Leroux JeanChristophe,
Castagner Bastien
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
angewandte chemie international edition
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.831
H-Index - 550
eISSN - 1521-3773
pISSN - 1433-7851
DOI - 10.1002/anie.201104384
Subject(s) - vibrio cholerae , bacillus anthracis , microbiology and biotechnology , cholera toxin , toxin , anthrax toxin , biology , virulence , microbial toxins , bacteria , clostridium difficile toxin b , drug development , escherichia coli , drug discovery , clostridium difficile , drug , clostridium difficile toxin a , antibiotics , bioinformatics , biochemistry , pharmacology , gene , genetics , fusion protein , recombinant dna
Protein toxins constitute the main virulence factors of several species of bacteria and have proven to be attractive targets for drug development. Lead candidates that target bacterial toxins range from small molecules to polymeric binders, and act at each of the multiple steps in the process of toxin‐mediated pathogenicity. Despite recent and significant advances in the field, a rationally designed drug that targets toxins has yet to reach the market. This Review presents the state of the art in bacterial toxin targeted drug development with a critical consideration of achieved breakthroughs and withstanding challenges. The discussion focuses on A–B‐type protein toxins secreted by four species of bacteria, namely Clostridium difficile (toxins A and B), Vibrio cholerae (cholera toxin), enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (Shiga toxin), and Bacillus anthracis (anthrax toxin), which are the causative agents of diseases for which treatments need to be improved.