Molecule named after Keanu Reeves kills microbes ‘efficiently’, study says

A natural antimicrobial product named after Hollywood actor Keanu Reeves works against fungi that cause disease in both plants and humans, according to a new study.

The recently published study in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, describes how the group of natural substances called “keanumycins” produced by bacteria of the genus Pseudomonas acts against plant pests.

Researchers, including those from the Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology in Germany, say the group of molecules “kills so efficiently that we named them after Keanu Reeves because he, too, is extremely lethal in his roles.”

Scientists have shown that the keanumycins are “effective” against the plant pest Botrytis cinerea, which causes gray mold and causes huge crop failures every year.

Previous research has shown that this mold rot can lead to immense crop losses in fruit and vegetable growing every year and affects over 200 different types of fruit and vegetables, especially strawberries and unripe grapes.

Studies have also shown that the active ingredient in keanumycin molecules can inhibit the growth of fungi that are dangerous to humans, such as Candida albicans.

This group of molecules, the study says, may be an “environmentally friendly alternative” to chemical pesticides and may also offer an alternative in the fight against drug-resistant fungi.

“Many human pathogenic fungi are now resistant to antimycotics (antimycotics) – partly because they are used in large quantities in agriculture,” said study co-author Sebastian Götze in a statement.

Researchers have analyzed the effects of compounds from bacteria in the genus Pseudomonas and found that many of these bacterial species are “very toxic” to amoebas, which feed on bacteria.

In the genome of the Pseudomonas bacterium, scientists have now discovered genes for the newly discovered keanumycin product group, designated A, B and C.

These natural products belong to a class of lipopeptide molecules that have “soap-like properties.”

Scientists found that keanumycin was effective against gray mold rot on hydrangea leaves, suggesting the natural product could potentially be an eco-friendly alternative to chemical pesticides.

“Theoretically, the keanumycin-containing supernatant from Pseudomonas cultures could be used directly for plants,” says Dr. idol.

When researchers tested isolated substances of the natural substance against fungi that affect humans, they found that it “strongly inhibits” the disease-causing fungus Candida albicans.

The latest findings, according to the scientists, shed more light on the mode of action of this potential natural product, lead, and could potentially “support the development of new pharmaceutical and agrochemical antifungals”.

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