Pharmaceuticals 2011, 4(2), 419-428; doi:10.3390/ph4020419
Review

Metallo-β-Lactamases and Aptamer-Based Inhibition

Sara R. Schlesinger, Mieke J. Lahousse, Taylor O. Foster and Sung-Kun Kim* email
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and the Institute of Biomedical Studies, Baylor University, Waco, TX 76798, USA
* Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Received: 14 January 2011; in revised form: 8 February 2011 / Accepted: 16 February 2011 / Published: 18 February 2011
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Aptamer-Based Therapeutics)
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Abstract: An evolution of antibiotic-resistant bacteria has resulted in the need for new antibiotics. β-Lactam based drugs are the most predominantly prescribed antibiotics to combat bacterial infections; however, production of β-lactamases, which catalyze the hydrolysis of the β-lactam bond of this class of antibiotics, by pathogenic bacteria such as Bacillus cereus, are rendering them useless. Some inhibitors of β-lactamases have been found, but there are no inhibitors against a class of β-lactamases known as metallo-β-lactamases, and it has been reported that the number of bacteria that produce metallo-β-lactamases is on the rise. Finding inhibitors of metallo-β-lactamases is thus an urgent necessity. One way to approach the problem is by employing the combinatorial method SELEX. The SELEX method is significant in discovering and producing new classes of inhibitors, as well as providing insight into the development of these inhibitors and paves the way for future aptamer applications that further novel drug discovery.
Keywords: metallo-β-lactamase; aptamer; SELEX; inhibitor; Bacillus cereus

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Cite This Article

MDPI and ACS Style

Schlesinger, S.R.; Lahousse, M.J.; Foster, T.O.; Kim, S.-K. Metallo-β-Lactamases and Aptamer-Based Inhibition. Pharmaceuticals 2011, 4, 419-428.

AMA Style

Schlesinger SR, Lahousse MJ, Foster TO, Kim S-K. Metallo-β-Lactamases and Aptamer-Based Inhibition. Pharmaceuticals. 2011; 4(2):419-428.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Schlesinger, Sara R.; Lahousse, Mieke J.; Foster, Taylor O.; Kim, Sung-Kun. 2011. "Metallo-β-Lactamases and Aptamer-Based Inhibition." Pharmaceuticals 4, no. 2: 419-428.

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