Mycothiol: A promising antitubercular target

• Mycothiol (MSH) is essential for growth and survival of Mycobacteria.
• MSH is an important cellular anti-oxidant protecting Mycobacteria from reactive oxygen species.
• This review explores MSH as a potential target against tuberculosis and helps in rationalizing novel therapeutic strategies.

Tuberculosis (TB) is the world’s second commonest cause of death next to HIV/AIDS. The increasing emergence of multi drug resistance and the recalcitrant nature of persistent infections pose an additional challenge for the treatment of TB. Due to the development of resistance to conventional antibiotics there is a need for new therapeutic strategies to combat M. tuberculosis. One such target is Mycothiol (MSH), a major low molecular-mass thiol in mycobacteria, an important cellular anti-oxidant. MSH is present only in actinomycetes and hence is a good target.This review explores mycothiol as a potential target against tuberculosis and various research ongoing worldwide.

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