COSMOS MAGAZINE
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Scientists are exploring unconventional tools - like artificial sweeteners and chewing gum - to combat antibiotic resistance and viral transmission.
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A new study has shown that saccharin, a widely used artificial sweetener, can kill multidrug-resistant bacteria by damaging their cell walls and boosting the effectiveness of existing antibiotics.
The researchers integrated saccharine into a hydrogel wound dressing. Credit: de Dios et al 2025, EMBO Molecular Medicine https://doi.org/10.1038/s44321-025-00219-1
Normally it takes billions of dollars and decades to develop a new antibiotic. But here we have a compound that’s already widely used, and it not only kills drug-resistant bacteria but also makes existing antibiotics more effective.
Professor Ronan McCarthy, Brunel University of London’s Antimicrobial Innovations Centre.
The release of FRIL and total protein from bean gum using chewing simulator ART-5. Credit: Rachel Kulchar
Researchers have also created a clinical-grade chewing gum made from lablab beans, which contain an antiviral protein that neutralises up to 95% of viruses like herpes and influenza in the mouth.
The beans are native to sub-Saharan Africa and contain an antiviral protein, which is effective against a range of viral pathogens.