The Danish researchers revealed that a molecule from garlic successfully combats chronic infections – the substance ajoene just ruins the communication system of harmful bacteria, stops the disease development.
The molecule from garlic can tackle infections, destabilizing the communications between the pathogenic bacteria in our organism. The research team from the Copenhagen University’s Department of Immunology and Microbiology is going all-out to prepare this method as a new treatment for patients who do not have, or haven’t had, good prognoses.
The lead author Tim Holm Jakobsen explains that his team has found that a garlic extract seemed to inhibit bacteria and further studies led them in 2012 to home in on the sulphur-rich chemical compound ajoene. This wonderful substance is totally natural antibiotic, which is produced most efficiently from allicin, a compound in garlic which has been shown to have promising effects.
According to Mr Jakobsen, the mechanism at the molecular level is studying to make a pharmaceutical product in future and to to test it on patients.
Bacteria killed by garlic
The substance extracted from garlic does not kill the bacteria on its own, but it harms their defence mechanism, the biofilm. Bacteria need to communicate each other, ajoene inhibits the tiny RNA molecules in bacteria, undermining this ability. Our natural immune defence mechanisms can mount a stronger attack when the biofilm is damaged. Moreover, weakened biofilm makes bacteria more vulnerable to antibiotics.
“Our goal is to get in there and inhibit the communication among the bacteria. We are not aiming at killing the bacteria, but rather to harm their communication. Ajoene has this effect,”
says Jakobsen and advises to eat garlic regularly because it has a certain immunity-boosting effect.
