A natural antibacterial product named after Hollywood actor Keanu Reeves is effective against fungi that cause disease in both plants and humans, according to a new study.
His research, recently published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, describes how the group of natural products “Keanumycins,” made by bacteria of the genus Pseudomonas, work against pests and diseases. damage plants.
The researchers, including those from the Leibniz Institute for Research in Natural Products and Infectious Biology in Germany, say this group of molecules “kills them so effectively that we named them after Keanu Reeves because He’s also extremely dangerous in his role.”
Scientists have shown that Keanumycins are “effective” against the pest Botrytis cinerea that causes gray mold rot and causes huge annual losses.
Previous research has shown that this mold rot can cause major harvest losses in fruit and vegetable crops every year, affecting more than 200 different fruits and vegetables, especially strawberries and berries. unripe grapes.
Studies have also found that the active ingredient in Keanumycin molecules can inhibit the growth of fungi that are dangerous to humans such as Candida albicans.
The study says this group of molecules could be an “environmentally friendly alternative” to chemical pesticides and could also offer an alternative in the fight against resistant fungi.
“Many fungi that cause disease in humans are now resistant to antimicrobials (antifungal drugs) – in part because they are used in large numbers in agricultural fields,” said study co-author Sebastian Götze. said in a statement.
The researchers analyzed the effects of compounds from bacteria of the genus Pseudomonas and discovered that many of these bacterial species were “very toxic” to the bacteria-eating amoeba.
In the genome of the Pseudomonas bacteria, scientists have now discovered the gene for the newly discovered group of Keanumycin products labeled A, B, and C.
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They say these natural products belong to a group of lipopeptide molecules that have “soap-like properties”.
Scientists found that Keanumycin was effective against gray mold rot on hydrangea leaves, suggesting that this natural product could be an eco-friendly alternative to chemical pesticides.
Dr Gotze said: “Theoretically, Keanumycin-containing supernatants from Pseudomonas cultures could be used directly on plants.
When researchers tested the isolate from the natural product against fungi infecting humans, they found that it “strongly inhibits” the fungus that causes the disease Candida albicans.
The latest findings shed more light on how this potential natural product lead works and potentially “support the development of antifungal drugs in pharmaceuticals,” the scientists said. and new agrochemicals”.
