Молодежный инновационный вестникМолодежный инновационный вестник2415-7805Федеральное государственное бюджетное образовательное учреждение высшего образования "Воронежский государственный медицинский университет имени Н.Н. Бурденко" Министерства здравоохранения Российской Федерации10474Conference ProceedingsGramicidin C - a significant discovery by Soviet scientists during the Great Patriotic WarPotrashkovRodion Valerievich<p>student</p>2105rodioha2005@mail.ruhttps://orcid.org/0009-0008-8998-0397ZubkovVladislav Sergeevich<p>student</p>vladzub013@yandex.ruhttps://orcid.org/0009-0000-8368-1013StartsevaСветлана Valerievna<pre id="tw-target-text" class="tw-data-text tw-text-large tw-ta" dir="ltr" data-placeholder="Перевод" data-ved="2ahUKEwi-r_nk4-SLAxXaJhAIHaSUJIsQ3ewLegQICBAV" aria-label="Переведенный текст: Microbiology - Associate Professor Candidate of Medical Sciences"><span class="Y2IQFc" lang="en">Microbiology - Associate Professor Candidate of Medical Sciences</span></pre>svetlana-s1977@mail.ruhttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-2425-5150Voronezh State Medical University named after N.N. Burdenko2504202514S113162802202528022025Copyright © 2025, Potrashkov R.V., Zubkov V.S., Startseva С.V.2025<p>Abstract. During the Great Patriotic War in the USSR, medical workers had an acute problem with the widespread prevalence of infectious diseases among both military personnel and civilians. There were no highly effective medicines for the treatment of such diseases at that time, so a large number of scientists tried to discover a drug that would be able to suppress the pathogenic effect of microorganisms on the human body. After numerous experiments, an outstanding Soviet scientist, Georgy Frantsevich Gause and his wife Maria Georgievna Brazhnikova, succeeded in isolating an active component from a bacterium of the genus Bacillus brevis, which had a bactericidal effect against many strains of various bacteria. The drug was named Gramicidin C. The new antibiotic is widely used in military field hospitals, having a high therapeutic effect. To this day, Gramicidin C is used for the manufacture of various pharmacological preparations. The discovery of this drug marked the beginning of the development of new antibacterial drugs, which were subsequently discovered by Gause and Brazhnikova in their laboratory.</p>gramicidin cmedicinewartimeSoviet scientistsantibioticграмицидин смедицинавоенное времясоветские ученыеантибиотик<p>Introduction. During the Great Patriotic War, scientific research in the USSR was aimed at developing new methods of treatment, as well as medicines that could help in the fight against infectious diseases and save the lives of soldiers and civilians. The contribution of Georgy Frantsevich Gauze and Maria Georgievna Brazhnikova during this period deserves special attention.<br />Georgy Frantsevich Gauze was born in Moscow in 1910. At the age of 15, the young man began to engage in research in the field of biology, and at the age of 17 his first publication was published. In 1927, G.F. Gauze entered the Biological Department of the Faculty of Physics and Mathematics of Moscow State University, and after graduation he worked at Moscow State University until 1942. In 1931, Georgy Frantsevich began working at the Laboratory of Ecology at Moscow University, and since 1948, he has been in charge of the laboratory of antibiotics at the USSR Academy of Medical Sciences.<br />Georgy Frantsevich's wife, Maria Georgievna Brazhnikova, was born in 1913 in Usmani, Tambov province. Brazhnikova's parents were doctors. Young Maria graduated from high school with a gold medal at the age of 15. In 1933, 5 years after graduating from the educational institution, Maria Georgievna became a student at the Faculty of Biology of Lomonosov Moscow State University.<br />In 1937, Georgy Frantsevich and Maria Georgievna found each other and have never been apart since. In the future, they were waiting for discoveries, the significance of which was enormous for the entire world of science. <br />In 1939, the British newspaper Nature published an article stating that in New York, Dr. Rene Dubo was able to isolate the first therapeutic antibiotic, which was named tyrothricin. At the same time, G.F. Gauze and M.G. Brazhnikova were actively engaged in the development of the first Soviet antibiotic for use in frontline hospitals.<br />The scientists sowed microbial cultures on Petri dishes from soil samples taken from a stream that flowed on the territory of the institute. After seeding the samples, the colonies grown on the substrate were evaluated for the level of negative interaction with various groups of microorganisms. The main feature of the colonies studied by scientists turned out to be the possibility of isolating a substance that in turn suppressed the growth of staphylococcal colonies. <br />Brazhnikova, with the help of Gause, was able to obtain cyclic antibiotic crystals with a unique chemical structure, which determines the high antibacterial activity and specificity of the drug's action. The resulting antibiotic was named Gramicidin. Gramicidin C therapy has proven effective against both Gr+ and Gr-microorganisms. The drug had a strong bacteriostatic effect on the growth of colonies of meningococcus and gonococcus, and in high doses suppressed the development of colonies of staphylococcus and streptococcus.<br />For the first time, a new antibiotic was introduced into medical practice in 1942. A team of doctors led by N.N. Burdenko was involved in testing the new drug. Gramicidin was successfully tested in hospitals of the Second Baltic Front, where it showed true effectiveness. Over the next year, Gramicidin was actively used in all hospitals on the front lines, and was also supplied to medical and sanitary battalions to prevent the development and control wound infections as early as possible. <br />Since it was extremely difficult to follow the rules of asepsis in field hospitals, many wounded soldiers had to deal with complications such as suppuration, general symptoms of intoxication, and tissue necrosis. This, in turn, prolonged the recovery process, sometimes leading to the forced excision of deeper tissue layers, and in some cases, to amputation of part of the limb.<br />After successful tests in frontline hospitals, at a conference held by the staff of the Military Medical Academy in 1943, the results of research on the condition of military personnel who had undergone Gramicidin C therapy were provided. The new antibiotic was highly appreciated by military doctors. <br />Of course, many decades have passed since the discovery of Gramicidin C by Gause and Brazhnikova. During this time, a huge number of new antibacterial drugs have been synthesized. But it is surprising that Gramicidin C, obtained at the dawn of the era of antibiotics, has not only not lost its effectiveness, but continues to be used in practical healthcare to this day. Currently, studies have not described the occurrence of antibiotic resistance in various bacterial pathogens, which is very important for the effectiveness of treatment. Gramicidin C is one of the few antibiotics to which bacteria do not develop resistance. <br />Due to its versatility and effectiveness, Gramicidin C has been actively and widely used for the prevention and treatment of purulent-inflammatory skin and soft tissue lesions not only among military personnel, but also among civilians. <br />Conclusion. It is impossible to fully appreciate the contribution of Georgy Frantsevich Gauze and Maria Georgievna Brazhnikova, which they made to Victory in the Great Patriotic War and to world health.<br />The Laboratory of Antibiotics of the USSR Academy of Medical Sciences was transformed into an independent institute in 1953. Nowadays, the institute is called the Gause Research Institute for the Development of New Antibiotics. Georgy Frantsevich was the director of this institute from 1960 until the end of his days. Maria Georgievna was the head of the Department of Antibiotic Chemistry.<br />Many antibiotics were discovered in this research institute, for example, neomycin, heliomycin, ristomycin, monomycin. The institute has also developed a number of anticancer drugs. Currently, the institute is managed by Andrey Egorovich Shchekotikhin.<br />For their great contribution to the development of world science, G.F. Gauze and M.G. Brazhnikova were awarded a large number of awards. 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