Food for thought: Opportunities to target carbon metabolism in antibacterial drug discovery

Antimicrobial resistance is at an all-time high and new drugs are required to overcome this crisis. Traditional approaches to drug discovery have failed to produce novel classes of antibiotics, with only a few currently in development. It is thought that novel classes will come from antibacterial drug discovery efforts that focus on unconventional targets. One such collection of antibacterial targets are those that comprise central carbon metabolism. Targets of this kind have been largely overlooked because conventional antibacterial testing media are ill-suited for exploring carbon source utilization. Nevertheless, as a consequence of infection, bacteria must find a carbon source in order to survive. Here, we review what is known about the carbon sources available and used by bacteria in different host infection sites. We also look at discovery efforts targeting central carbon metabolism and evaluate how these processes can influence antibiotic efficacy.

Automated summary

Antimicrobial resistance is a major problem and new drugs are needed. Traditional drug discovery approaches have failed to produce new antibiotics, leading to a focus on unconventional targets. One such target is central carbon metabolism, which has been overlooked due to testing limitations. However, understanding the carbon sources used by bacteria during infections and targeting central carbon metabolism could improve antibiotic efficacy.