Researchers Identify New Ways to Heal Gut Infections with Existing Drugs

Newswise — Article title: Enterococcus faecalis exploits the human fibrinolytic system to drive excess collagenolysis: implications in gut healing and identification of druggable targets

Authors: Richard A. Jacobson, Kiedo Wienholts, Ashley J. Williamson, Sara Gaines, Sanjiv Hyoju, Harry van Goor, Alexander Zaborin, Benjamin D. Shogan, Olga Zaborina, John C. Alverdy

From the authors: “This paper presents novel mechanism for virulence in a commensal gut microbe that exploits the human fibrinolytic system and its principle protease, plasminogen. This mechanism is targetable by safe and effective non-antibiotic small molecules for the prevention of infectious complications in the healing gut.”

This study is highlighted as one of December's "best of the best" as part of the American Physiological Society's APSselect program.