Cyclic Peptide [R 4 W 4 ] in Improving the Ability of First-Line Antibiotics to Inhibit Mycobacterium tuberculosis Inside in vitro Human Granulomas

Tuberculosis (TB) is currently one of the leading causes of global mortality. Medical non-compliance due to the length of the treatment and antibiotic side effects has led to the emergence of multidrug-resistant (MDR) strains of ( ) that are difficult to treat. A current therapeutic strategy attempting to circumvent this issue aims to enhance drug delivery to reduce the duration of the antibiotic regimen or dosage of first-line antibiotics. One such agent that may help is cyclic peptide [R W ], as it has been shown to have antibacterial properties (in combination with tetracycline) against methicillin-resistant (MRSA) in the past. The objective of this study is to test cyclic peptide [R W ] both alone and in combination with current first-line antibiotics (either isoniazid or pyrazinamide) to study the effects of inhibition of inside human granulomas. Results from our studies indicate that [R W ] is efficacious in controlling infection in the granulomas and has enhanced inhibitory effects in the presence of first-line antibiotics.