Antiseptic of the First World War will help to cope with antibiotic-resistant bacteria

Trypaflavine is an antiseptic that was widely used at the beginning of the last century. With the discovery of penicillin it was abandoned, but now it can help solve the problem of the growth of bacteria resistant to antibiotics, which are often called super bacteria. Even more surprisingly, trypaflavin appears to increase the body's immune response to viruses, providing protection against colds and possibly more serious viral diseases.

The discovery of the German scientist

The great German scientist Paul Erich in 1912 found that Acriflavinium chloride, known as trypaflavin, can treat certain diseases when applied to the skin. It was used to treat sleeping sickness in sub-Saharan Africa, in order to prevent infection of wounds during the First World War and even intravenously against gonorrhea.

Modern research

Dr. Michael Gantier of the Hudson Institute of Medical Research of Australia believes that this remedy still has the right to exist, providing an alternative way to combat bacteria that have developed resistance to commonly used antibiotics. Gantier is the senior author of the study, which provides evidence that very small doses of trypaflavin contribute to the immune response in cultured cells, increasing their ability to fight pathogens.

"We showed for the first time that trypaflavin, by binding to cellular DNA, can activate the human immune system, causing a powerful response to the effects of a potentially wide range of bacteria," Gantier said in a statement.

The first author of the study, Dr. Geneviera Pepin of the Hudson Institute, added: "Our study shows that trypaflavin stimulates the human immune system, and not just kills bacteria. Presumably, this may mean that the bacteria will not mutate and become resistant to the drug. Therefore, trypaflavin may be a potential alternative to existing antibacterial drugs. "

What is even more surprising, the increase in immunity extends to the fight against viruses. Gantier and his co-authors offer herpes as an example of a virus against which trypaflavin can be useful, since it can be applied at the site of the outbreak in the same way as it was previously done for wounds.

Possibilities of use

Trypaflavin is a poisonous agent if it enters the digestive or respiratory systems of the body, but Gantier says that the increase in immunity seems to be observed at doses that are much lower than those that are capable of causing damage. Consequently, according to his assumption, it is possible to use an intranasal inhaler to deliver a small dose of the drug to the cells of the nasal mucosa and lungs, which will kill upper respiratory tract infections. He can protect against colds and even save a person's life in case of an outbreak of an infection like SARS.

Trypaflavin appears to have been discarded for intravenous use because the drug remained in the blood stream for a short time. Nevertheless, its effect is much longer when applied to the skin, and Gantier suspects that the same will be true for the airways, although clinical trials have not yet been carried out.

The revival of trypaflavin may be partly related to the Internet, since German scientific works of the early 20th century are now readily available to researchers around the world, and they provide very useful guidance for modern scientists.