Vitamin B3 can fight with "super bacteria"
Last reviewed: 16.10.2021
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Nicotinamide, commonly known as vitamin B3, can help the immune system kill staphylococcus bacteria, which for their immunity to antibiotics is called "super bacteria".
Laboratory experiments with mice and human blood allowed researchers to find that high doses of this vitamin boost the ability of immune cells to kill bacteria thousands of times.
This discovery should replenish the arsenal of funds for combating bacterial infections that are not amenable to antibiotic treatment. In particular, we are talking about the fight against methicillin-resistant staphylococcus, which causes such severe diseases as sepsis and pneumonia, which took the lives of thousands of people around the globe. These bacteria are distributed in hospitals, nursing homes and prisons, as well as among athletes and military and elsewhere, where a large number of people are in close and frequent contact.
The study was conducted by a team of scientists from the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Linus Pauling Institute at the University of Oregon, the University of California at Los Angeles and other research centers. An article about the results of the study was published this week in the Journal of Clinical Studies.
Co-author Adrian Gombart - Professor of the Linus Pauling Institute at the University of Oregon - talks about the importance of research for the development of medicine, but notes that it is possible to talk about the achievement of the result after testing a new method of treatment in humans.
"This study can open a new way for us to treat staph infections that can be deadly. The new technology should be used along with existing antibiotics, "said Professor Gombart.
"It's a way to harness the power of the innate immune system and stimulate it to provide a powerful and natural immune response to bacteria," he added.
Antibiotics are very effective in fighting bacterial infections, but the number of bacterial species that are resistant to antibiotics is increasing, and therefore doctors are left with very few options for treatment. Staphylococcus aureus is such a "super bacteria".
The researchers found that vitamin B3 can help in the fight against this problem, since in human blood it destroyed a staphylococcal infection in a few hours.
This vitamin is incredibly effective in fighting and protecting against one of the most dangerous health threats in the modern world, "said one of the leaders of the study George Lew from the center of Cedars-Sinai.
Doses of vitamin B3 in the study were megadoses from a therapeutic point of view. They significantly exceed the norm of nicotinamide with a normal diet. Nevertheless, such doses did not cause people harm while using them for other medical purposes.
Be that as it may, scientists emphasize that the results of the study are not yet sufficient grounds for people to start treating themselves with high doses of vitamin B3.