Vitamin C shows potential to kill drug-resistant TB

May 23, 2013

Scientists at Yeshiva University have found through a study that Vitamin C kills drug-resistant Tuberculosis (TB) bacteria in laboratory culture.
What they discovered?
The researchers who were actually trying to determine the causes that made a normal strain of Mycobacterium Tuberculosis (bacteria which causes TB) to transform into isoniazid (first line drug for trating TB) resistant TB. It was found that Vitamin C not only sterilised the drug-susceptible TB, but also sterilised MDR-TB and XDR-TB strains.

MDR = Multi Drug Resistant
XDR = Extensive Drug Resistant

How Vitamin C killed the TB bacteria?

Vitamin C induced what is known as a Fenton reaction, causing iron to react with other molecules to create reactive oxygen species that kill the TB bacteria.

How would the discovery help?

Drug resistant TB has become a matter of concern. About 650,000 people worldwide now have multi-drug-resistant TB (MDR-TB), 9% of whom have extensively drug-resistant TB (XDR-TB).
The discovery will open new areas of research into the possible modifications of current drugs or development of new drugs to make the treatment of TB more efficacious.

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