Dihydropteroate synthase inhibitor

A dihydropteroate synthetase inhibitor is a drug that inhibits the action of dihydropteroate synthetase. Most are sulfonamides.

Tetrahydrofolate synthesis pathway

In bacteria, antibacterial sulfonamides act as competitive inhibitors of the enzyme dihydropteroate synthetase, DHPS. DHPS catalyses the conversion of PABA (para-aminobenzoate) to dihydropteroate, a key step in folate synthesis. Folate is necessary for the cell to synthesize nucleic acids (nucleic acids are essential building blocks of DNA and RNA), and in its absence cells will be unable to divide. Hence the sulfonamide antibacterials exhibit a bacteriostatic rather than bactericidal effect.

Uses

Folate is not synthesized in mammalian cells, but is instead a dietary requirement. This explains the selective toxicity to bacterial cells of these drugs. These antibiotics are used to treat pneumocystis jiroveci pneumonia, urinary tract infections, and shigellosis.

References

This antiinfective drug article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.v · Categories: Dihydropteroate synthetase inhibitors Antiinfective agent stubs Wikimedia Foundation. 2010. Игры ⚽ Поможем написать реферат Dihydropteroate synthase Dihydropyran Look at other dictionaries: Dihydrofolate reductase inhibitor — A dihydrofolate reductase inhibitor is a molecule that inhibits the function of dihydrofolate reductase, and is a type of antifolate. Since folate is needed by rapidly dividing cells to make thymine, this effect may be used to therapeutic… …   Wikipedia COX-2 inhibitor — COX 2 selective inhibitor is a form of non steroidal anti inflammatory drug (NSAID) that directly targets COX 2, an enzyme responsible for inflammation and pain. Targeting selectivity for COX 2 reduces the risk of peptic ulceration, and is the… …   Wikipedia Monoamine oxidase inhibitor — MAOI redirects here. For the Easter Island statues, see Moai. Monoamine oxidase Monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs) are a class of antidepressant drugs prescribed for the treatment of depression. They are particularly effective in treating… …   Wikipedia Phosphodiesterase inhibitor — A phosphodiesterase inhibitor is a drug that blocks one or more of the five subtypes of the enzyme phosphodiesterase (PDE), therefore preventing the inactivation of the intracellular second messengers cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) and… …   Wikipedia Acetylcholinesterase inhibitor — Acetylcholine …   Wikipedia Reverse-transcriptase inhibitor — Reverse transcriptase inhibitors (RTIs) are a class of antiretroviral drug used to treat HIV infection, tumors,[1] and cancer.[2] RTIs inhibit activity of reverse transcriptase, a viral DNA polymerase enzyme that retroviruses need to reproduce.… …   Wikipedia Matrix metalloproteinase inhibitor — A matrix metalloproteinase inhibitor (MMPI) inhibits matrix metalloproteinases. As they inhibit cell migration they have antiangiogenic effects. They may be both endogenous and exogenous. The most notorious endogenous metalloproteinases are… …   Wikipedia PARP inhibitor — PARP inhibitors are a group of pharmacological inhibitors of the enzyme poly ADP ribose polymerase (PARP). They are developed for multiple indications; the most important is the treatment of cancer.[1] Several forms of cancer are more dependent… …   Wikipedia Aromatic L-amino acid decarboxylase inhibitor — An aromatic L amino acid decarboxylase inhibitor (synonyms: DOPA decarboxylase inhibitor, DDCI and AAADI) is a drug which inhibits the synthesis of dopamine by the enzyme aromatic L amino acid decarboxylase (AAAD, or DOPA decarboxylase, DDC).… …   Wikipedia Dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitor — DPP 4 inhibitors and GLP 1 Inhibitors of dipeptidyl peptidase 4, also DPP 4 inhibitors or gliptins, are a class of oral hypoglycemics that block DPP 4. They can be used to treat diabetes mellitus type 2. The first agent of the class sitagliptin… …   Wikipedia 18+ © Academic, 2000-2024 Contact us: Technical Support, Advertising Dictionaries export, created on PHP, Joomla, Drupal, WordPress, MODx. Mark and share Search through all dictionaries Translate… Search Internet Share the article and excerpts Direct link … Do a right-click on the link above and select “Copy Link”