Russian chemists have synthesized five new silver complexes that proved more effective than the main drug against tuberculosis. According to the press service of the Russian Ministry of Education and Science, three compounds suppress the growth of mycobacteria at a minimum concentration lower than that of rifampicin, a first-line antibiotic.

The complex with myrtenic acid proved to be the most promising: it not only stops bacterial growth but causes their complete death. Molecular modeling showed that the substance attacks two key targets at once – cell wall synthesis and energy metabolism of mycobacteria. The compounds remain active in solution for up to 14 days and can withstand heating up to 170°C.

The development was carried out by scientists from IONKh RAN named after N.S. Kurnakov, IOGen RAN, Institute of Chemistry of Komi SC UrO RAN, INKh SO RAN, and Amur State Medical Academy.

The rise of antibiotic resistance forces the search for substances with fundamentally different mechanisms of action, and silver offers a chance to overcome drug resistance. If preclinical trials on pathogenic strains confirm the results obtained, silver complexes could form the basis of new-generation antimicrobial drugs, especially for the treatment of tuberculosis, where the failure of classic antibiotics leads to mortality.