Progress Towards New Antimicrobial Agents
Level of Education of Students Involved
Undergraduate
College
College of Arts & Sciences (CAS)
Presentation Type
Poster Presentation
Symposium Date
Spring 4-24-2025
Abstract
Bacterial and fungal infections are among the greatest causes of death worldwide. With the continued growth of drug-resistant antimicrobials comes a greater challenge fighting these “superbugs”. Because of this, the need for new and alternative pathways for fighting these diseases is both necessary and prevalent. Previous work from our lab has explored extracts of the Argemone mexicana plant to identify key molecules that give the plant its antimicrobial properties. Our current work centers around berberine, one of the key molecules, and designing and synthesizing structural variants. Several of our prior variants showed marked improvement over the plant-derived compound against gram-positive bacteria. The goal is to continue generating new and more potent antimicrobial drugs. Much of the recent work is focused on expanded hydrophobic units in the variant structures. The compounds discovered in this work may lead to the development of more selective antimicrobial drugs.
Recommended Citation
Burton, Abigail; Ferkull, Brooke; Orozco-Nunnelly, Danielle; and Pruet, Jeffrey, "Progress Towards New Antimicrobial Agents" (2025). Symposium on Undergraduate Research and Creative Expression (SOURCE). 1397.
https://scholar.valpo.edu/cus/1397
