Texas scientists find blood pressure drug kills MRSA infections
Scientists in Texas have discovered that a common blood pressure medicine, candesartan cilexetil (CC), can actually kill MRSA, a tough superbug behind thousands of serious infections and deaths each year in the US
With antibiotic resistance on the rise globally, finding a cheap, widely available drug like CC that works against MRSA could be a real game-changer.
Candesartan cilexetil punches MRSA membranes
CC attacks MRSA by punching holes in its cell membrane, wiping out both active and persistent bacteria.
It also makes antibiotics like gentamicin work better at lower doses and has already shown strong results in mice.
The research team is now tweaking CC to boost its effect and reduce side effects, hoping to move from lab tests to human trials.
As microbiologist Nagendran Tharmalingam put it, they want to take this "We are trying to get this from benchside to bedside."