Testing glycomimetic compounds for their ability to disrupt capsular polysaccharide production in type 5 Staphylococcus aureus

Abstract

The potentially fatal nature of Staphylococcus aureus is exponentially enhanced by its incredible ability to evade medical treatment. At the current time S. aureus has developed resistance mechanisms to every class of antibiotics that are supposed to inhibit or kill the bacterium. Physiologically S. aureus is able to evade host immunological defense mechanisms due to the presence of a structure known as the capsular polysaccharide. Inhibiting production of the capsular polysaccharide provides a novel approach to combating antibiotic resistant S. aureus. By targeting the synthesis of the sugars that make up the capsule, compounds can be developed that may inhibit capsule formation. These sugars are specifically targeted via glycomimetics. The mimetic compounds are tested to determine their ability to inhibit production of the capsular polysaccharide of S. aureus. The ability of the mimetic to block capsular polysaccharide production can be measured by analyzing the binding of monoclonal antibodies to the capsule.