Chapter 42, Problem 1RC

Summary Introduction

To determine: The differences and similarities between at least five different classes of antibiotics.

Introduction: The antibiotic is a microbial product and their molecular derivatives that kills or inhibits the growth of micro-organisms. The antibiotics are used to treat various types of diseases caused by bacteria and other microbes. The penicillin was the very first antibiotic discovered naturally from a fungus known as penicillium.

Explanation of Solution

There are various types of microbes, such as bacteria and fungi, that produces many employed antibiotics. The synthetic antibiotics and chemotherapeutic drugs are ciprofloxacin, ionized, dapsone, and many more, whereas some are also semisynthetic, which have been genetically modified by adding chemical groups (ampicillin). The similarity between penicillin, cephalosporins, vancomycin, aminoglycosides, and fluoroquinolones is that they have a cidal effect, which is that they kill bacteria without the help of the patient’s immune system.

The differences between the antibiotics are as follows.

S. No	Characteristics	Penicillin	Cephalosporins	Vancomycin	Aminoglycosides	Fluoroquinolones
1.	Mechanism of action	They usually inhibit the enzymes involving in the cross-linking chains of peptidoglycan.	They usually inhibit the enzymes involving in the PBP cross-linking the chains of peptidoglycan.	It also prevents the transpeptidation by binding to amino acids at the end of the peptide chains.	It binds to the ribosomal subunit and interferes with protein synthesis.	They inhibit the DNA replication
2.	examples	penicillin, penicillin V	Cephalothin, cefoxitin	Vancomycin	Neomycin, gentamicin	Levofloxacin, ciprofloxacin
3.	Side effects	Diarrhea, anemia	Allergic reactions	Ototoxic and nephrotoxic	Renal damage, nausea	Headaches, allergic reactions.
4.	Derived from	Penicillium notatum	Acremonium	Amycolatopis	Streptomyces griseus	4-quinolone molecule