Tetracycline Antibiotics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Tetracycline Antibiotics - Essay Example Chlortetracycline was the first compound from this class which was successfully used to treat diseases of bacterial origin. They are one of the most widely used classes of antibiotics today and several thousand of varieties have been synthesized till date (Aleksandrov & Simonson, 2008). Chlortetracycline and Oxytetracycline are obtained from Streptomyces Aure-Facie ns and Streptomyces rumors respectively (Goodman & Gilman, 2001). Other semi synthetic tetracyclines are Tetracycline, Methacycline, Doxycycline, and Minocycline.All tetracyclines are congeners of polycyclic naphthalene carboxamide and chemical substituents and their position determine the type of tetracycline (Goodman & Gilman, 2001). Chemically Tetracyclines are polyketides and comprise of a naphthacene ring structure (Thiele-Bruhn, 2003). They are amphoteric compounds and are relatively stable in acids. They are sparingly water soluble while the solubility of corresponding hydrochlorides is much higher. They strongly ab sorb light and are therefore subject to photodegradation.Tetracyclines are basically bactericidal in action and do so by inhibiting bacterial protein synthesis (Goodman & Gilman, 2001). They do so by binding to the 30 S bacterial ribosome, thereby preventing access of aminoacyl tRNA to the acceptor site on the mRNA-ribosome complex. The active transport system found in the bacterial cells enhances the passage of the tetracyclines into them by the process of passive diffusion through the hydrophilic channels.