Vitamin C shows potential to kill drug-resistant TB
Scientists at Yeshiva University have found through a study that Vitamin C kills drug-resistant Tuberculosis (TB) bacteria in laboratory culture.
What they discovered?
The researchers who were actually trying to determine the causes that made a normal strain of Mycobacterium Tuberculosis (bacteria which causes TB) to transform into isoniazid (first line drug for trating TB) resistant TB. It was found that Vitamin C not only sterilised the drug-susceptible TB, but also sterilised MDR-TB and XDR-TB strains.
- MDR = Multi Drug Resistant
- XDR = Extensive Drug Resistant
How Vitamin C killed the TB bacteria?
- Vitamin C induced what is known as a Fenton reaction, causing iron to react with other molecules to create reactive oxygen species that kill the TB bacteria.
How would the discovery help?
- Drug resistant TB has become a matter of concern. About 650,000 people worldwide now have multi-drug-resistant TB (MDR-TB), 9% of whom have extensively drug-resistant TB (XDR-TB).
- The discovery will open new areas of research into the possible modifications of current drugs or development of new drugs to make the treatment of TB more efficacious.