ArticleNature microbiology2025
A quinolone N-oxide antibiotic selectively targets Neisseria gonorrhoeae via its toxin-antitoxin system.
Article in Nature microbiology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
6 citing papers in PubMed.
- Antimicrobial Trioxacarcin 1,2-Dihydroxyanthraquinones from the BacteriumBiomolecules · 2026Article
- Revisiting 2-Substituted-4(1Journal of medicinal chemistry · 2026Article
- Plasmids inClinical microbiology reviews · 2026Review
- Advanced applications of cationic photosensitizer DHPC in photodynamic eradication of drug-resistant bacteria.Frontiers in microbiology · 2026Article
- Heteroaryl Bishydrazono Nitroimidazoles: A Unique Structural Skeleton with Potent Multitargeting Antibacterial Activity.International journal of molecular sciences · 2025Article
- The Characterization of a Gonococcal HicAB Toxin-Antitoxin System Capable of Causing Bacteriostatic Growth Arrest.Microorganisms · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
13 authors.
Funding
Abstract
Gonorrhoea is a major sexually transmitted infection and the emergence of multidrug-resistant Neisseria gonorrhoeae poses a global health threat. To identify candidate antibiotics against N. gonorrhoeae, we screened Pseudomonas aeruginosa-derived secondary metabolites and found that 2-nonyl-4-quinolone N-oxide (NQNO) abrogated growth of N. gonorrhoeae in vitro. NQNO did not impair growth of commensal Neisseriae, vaginal lactobacilli or viability of human cells. Mechanistically, NQNO disrupted the electron transport chain, depleted ATP and NADH levels and increased oxidative stress. This triggered activation of a toxin-antitoxin system, release of the endogenous Zeta1 toxin and bacterial death. In a mouse model of infection, topical application of NQNO prevented colonization by N. gonorrhoeae. Chemical modification yielded 3-methyl NQNO, which exhibited nanomolar potency against multidrug-resistant strains, lack of resistance development and significantly reduced pathogen numbers during experimental infection of mice. These findings show the potential for selective killing of bacterial pathogens such as multidrug-resistant N. gonorrrhoeae through activation of endogenous toxins.
Indexed as
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What Socratic holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.