Pharmacology- Chen Fluoroquinolones Flashcards
What are the 3 strategies employed by antibacterial agents?
- Fight cell wall synthesis (Humans don’t have cell walls)
- Fight nucleic acid synthesis (Humans use the 60S/40S sub-units, while bacterial use 50S/30S)
- Fight protein synthesis (Humans use slightly different enzymes than bacteria)
What are antibiotics?
NATURAL SUBSTANCES synthesized by an organism which can inhibit the growth of another organism
What are antibacterials?
Substances synthesized in a LAB that can inhibit the growth of another organism
How was quinolone discovered?
As a by-product of the anti-malarial agent chloroquine
What is the generation 0 fluoroquinolone?
Nalidixic acid
-This was the byproduct of chloroquine
What was the first antibacterial?
The quinolone ring
What did they do to the quinolone ring to get flouroquinolones?
Added a fluorine atom at position C6
What did this addition of the fluorine atom do?
- Increased DNA gyrase inhibitory activity
- Facilitated penetration into the bacterial cell
- Provided activity against staphylococci
MOA of fluoroquinolones?
Block bacterial DNA synthesis by inhibiting DNA gyrase and Topoisomerase IV
Is the blocking of topoisomeriase II (DNA Gyrase) more specific for gram - or gram + bacteria?
Gram NEGATIVE
What does blocking of DNA gyrase do?
Prevents relaxation of positively supercoiled DNA
Is blocking Topoisomerase IV more specific for gram + or gram - bacteria?
Gram POSITIVE
What does blocking of Topoisomerase IV do?
Interferes with separation of replicated chromosomal DNA into respective daughter cells during cell division
If you increase the dose of fluoroquinolone enough, can you target both enzymes for gram + and gram - bacteria?
YES
-Gram + and gram - have both enzymes and while structural differences determine the selectivity of which enzyme is affected, at high enough doses, fluoroquinolones will block both
Are fluoroquinolones bactericidal or bacteristatic?
Bactericidal
What are the 3 mechanisms of resistance for Fluoroquinolones?
- Mutation that alters drug target
- Mutation that reduces drug accumulation
- Plasmid-Mediated resistance
What are the genes that can be mutated to block fluoroquinolone binding to DNA Gyrase?
GyrA and GyrB which encode GyrA and GyrB proteins
-These make up the subunits for DNA Gyrase
What are the genes that can be mutated to block fluoroquinolone binding Topoisomerase IV?
ParC and ParE which encode ParC and ParE protein
-These make up the subunits for Topoisomerase IV
In gram + bacteria what do fluoroquinolones have to cross to get inside?
The cell wall and cytoplasmic membrane
In gram - bacteria what do fluoroquinolones have to cross to get inside?
Cell wall, cytoplasmic membrane, and the extra outer membrane
What can bacteria mutate to increase fluoroquinolones being pumped out of their cells?
Efflux pumps
What can bacteria mutate to decrease fluroquinolones from entering their cells
Porins
Describe the transfer of plasmids between bacterial cells
- Resistant bacteria comes in close proximity with sensitive bacteria
- Plasmid carrying resistance gene is transferred to sensitive bacteria
- Sensitive bacteria incorporate resistance gene and becomes resistant
What is the resistance gene that can be transferred via plasmid to protect DNA gyrase and topoisomerase IV against fluoroquinolone inhibition?
Plasmid-mediated quinolone resistance gene (gnr)
-This makes a shield for the bacteria
What is another plasmid-transferred gene that can inhibit fluoroquinolone activity?
A variant of aminoglycoside acetyltransferase
How does aminoglycoside acetyltransferase work to block fluoroquinolone activity?
It allows bacteria to transfer an acetyl group to floroquinolone so it can’t bind and thus inhibits it
Is plasmid-mediated resistance low level or high level?
Typically low level, but it can facilitate point mutations that confer high level resistnace
If you increase the dose of the drug, can you inhibit the bacteria?
Typically
What can happen if you increase the drug dose?
You can increase bacterial developing resistance due to gene mutations