Great South African molecules: The case for mycothiol

Abstract

South Africa has one of the oldest chemical societiesinthe worldand hasalong historyofnatural products, synthetic, and medicinal chemistry yet the visibility of molecules discovered or synthesized in South Africa is very low. Is this because South African scientists are incapable of discovering influential and celebrated molecules, or is there inadequate publicity of such discoveries? Perspective profiles on the discovery and scope of research on 'Great South African Molecules' should be a good start to redress this state of affairs. One such molecule deserving publicity is the antioxidant mycothiol which is produced by mycobacteria. This is a molecule of interest not only because of its medicinal potential in the fight against tuberculosis, but also from synthetic methodology and enzyme inhibition studies. This review aims to illuminate the scope of research in mycothiol chemistry for the purpose of promoting multidisciplinary investigations related to this South African molecule.