title: Thiol modified mycolic acids.
abstract: Patient serum antibodies to mycolic acids have the potential to be surrogate markers of active tuberculosis (TB) when they can be distinguished from the ubiquitously present cross-reactive antibodies to cholesterol. Mycolic acids are known to interact more strongly with antibodies present in the serum of patients with active TB than in patients with latent TB or no TB. Examples of single stereoisomers of mycolic acids with chain lengths corresponding to major homologues of those present in Mycobacterium tuberculosis have now been synthesised with a sulfur substituent on the terminal position of the α-chain; initial studies have established that one of these binds to a gold electrode surface, offering the potential to develop second generation sensors for diagnostic patient antibody detection.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, University of Pretoria, South Africa.
authors.forename: Mohammed O
authors.initials: MO
authors.lastname: Balogun
authors.forename: Enlli H
authors.initials: EH
authors.lastname: Huws
authors.forename: Muthana M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Sirhan
authors.forename: Ahmed D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Saleh
authors.forename: Juma'a R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Al Dulayymi
authors.forename: Lynne
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Pilcher
authors.forename: Jan A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Verschoor
authors.forename: Mark S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Baird
mesh_terms: D000906:Antibodies / Q000276:immunology; D055664:Electrochemical Techniques; D004566:Electrodes; D006801:Humans; D009171:Mycolic Acids / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000276:immunology; D013237:Stereoisomerism; D013438:Sulfhydryl Compounds / Q000737:chemistry*; D014376:Tuberculosis / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D000906:Antibodies; D009171:Mycolic Acids; D013438:Sulfhydryl Compounds
keywords: Cyclic voltammetry; Gold surfaces; Mycolic acids; Thiolated