Antibiotic Resistance Increased by Common Antidepressants
The well-known reason for a href=”Antibiotics” is the use of antibioticshttps://www.theepochtimes.com/t-antibiotic-resistance”>antibiotic Resistance, but they aren’t the only common drug that’s contributing to this global crisis, as demonstrated in a recent University of Queensland (UQ) study.
In a Study Researchers led by Prof. Jianhua Guio, UQs Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology found that “a href=”https://www.theepochtimes.com/t-antidepressants”>antidepressants Also, there is an increase in antibiotic resistance
“As we know, antibiotics are major contributors in inducing the emergence of antibiotic resistance,” Guo sent an email to The Epoch Times.
However, Guo said that little is known about antidepressants’ capacity to also drive the spread of antibiotic resistance, although they have been consumed at an increased rate.
“Thus, this finding to some extent, changed our understanding,” He said.
The study was focused on prescription drugs that treat anxiety and depression, as well as other psychological conditions. It examined the effects of antidepressants on bacteria.
“While the overuse of antibiotics is acknowledged as the major driver of bacterial resistance, we wanted to investigate if other common medications were contributing to the problem,” Guo stated in a Release by UQ.
Australia is not unusual for mental health prescriptions. 42.7 Million mental health-related medication 2020-2021 It is not unusual for the United States to have mental health prescriptions. 2020 data This indicated that 16.5 percent had used a prescription medication within the last 12 months to improve their mental health.
Antimicrobial Resistance
The World Health Organisation It was identified in 2019 as one of the top 10 threats that global public health is facing from antimicrobial resistance. Antimicrobial resistance makes infection more difficult and sometimes impossible to treat. This leads to many deaths.
An estimated 4% of the world’s population will be living in 2019 1.27 Million Antimicrobial resistance is a cause of death that exceeds the death rates of HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases. A 2016 Review estimated that the annual death toll of antimicrobial infections could rise to 10 million by 2050 if global action is not taken.
The Antidepressants: A Test
Sertraline (Zoloft), bupropion, Lexapro), escitalopram [Lexapro], bupropion (Welbutrin], duloxetine(Cymbalta) and agomelatine (“Valdoxan”) were the antidepressants tested. Guo stated that all tested drugs can cause the emergence and spread of antibiotics. Resistance to antibiotics was strongest in the three most resistant bacteria, but fluoxetine, sertraline and duloxetine had the largest impact.
“Our study showed a marked increase in antibiotic resistance from those three, even at very low doses.”
“Sertraline and duloxetine exhibited the most significant effects, resulting in high numbers of resistant cells (compared to total cells) over a short time period,” He said.
“This is mainly associated with the drug’s oxidative ability and chemical structure.”
Professor Guo claimed that high levels of sertraline (50mg/L) caused resistance to the anti-biotics chloramphenicol and tetracycline. He said that the fold changes of the ratio of resistant cell number to total cell number exhibited an increase that’s almost comparable to the changes observed under antibiotic resistance.
Guo stated that large-scale screening has not yet been done to determine which antidepressant types are capable of triggering antibiotic resistance.
Antidepressants can increase antibiotic resistance
Guo pointed out that antidepressants may cause antibiotic resistance due to their antimicrobial qualities.
“They can trigger bacteria to over-generate ROS, thus damaging and killing bacteria,” He said.
Guo said that the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) under exposure to antidepressants was measured, and an over-generation of ROS was found. Guo also stated that researchers had discovered gene expressions that were related to oxidative stresses.https://www.cancer.gov/publications/dictionaries/cancer-terms/def/upregulation”>upregulated—a process that cells undergo to increase their response to an outside substance or signal.
Guo blamed this ROS overproduction on the drug’s strong oxidative capability, which causes oxidative stress in bacteria. “an SOS response.” He claimed that “SOS response” This triggers cell defense mechanisms that then allow the E.coli bacteria to develop resistance to antibiotics.
Researchers also discovered that antidepressants could generate a positive mood. Increased stress signature responses stimulation of efflux pumps expression
“These responses would be beneficial for bacteria to develop antibiotic resistance,” Guo said.
“For example, stimulation of efflux pump will support bacteria to pump out antibiotics from intracellular to extracellular, thus compromising the efficacy of antibiotics, and making bacteria become multi-drug resistant.”
Possible Side-effects
Guo said that if a patient harbours antibiotic-resistant bacteria caused by antidepressants, there is a risk for them to get a bacterial infection that is difficult to treat.
“Additionally, the antibiotic-like side effects of antidepressants might affect gut microbiota or gut health if some patients regularly take the drugs, which warrants more research,” Guo said.
“This is just our current speculation. It should be noted that more research is needed to fully assess any subsequent impacts on human health.”
He said that researchers are aiming to validate their findings first in an animal model and then conduct a cohort study in future.
Other Common Drugs That Increase Antibiotic Resistance
Antidepressants, which aren’t the only medication that promotes the spread of antibiotic resistant bacteria, aren’t the only ones. Guo stated that previous research had shown that anti-inflammatories as well as lipid-lowering drugs can increase antibiotic resistance via horizontal genetic transfer.
“Antibiotic resistance occurs and spreads when bacteria uptake free-living antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) via bacterial transformation in response to the use of antibiotics,” He stated this in a prior Release by UQ.
The study investigated six common non-antibiotic medications and found that nonsteroidal anti-inflammatories, a lipid-lowering drug, and a β-blocker notably supported the bacterial transformation.
Yue Wang, UQ Postdoctoral Research Fellow, stated that these findings are concerning because of the high use non-antibiotic medications. This raises concerns that non-antibiotics could accelerate the spread antibiotic resistance.
“They are the iceberg of factors for promoting antibiotic resistance and should not be ignored,” Guo said.
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