Question - How can an antibiotic kill bacterial cells and not harm vertebrate cells; what part of the bacterial cell must antibiotics be targeting and why? Identify two antibiotics that work differently and describe their modes of action (how they work).
Answer - Most antibiotics targeted for bacterial cells will bind only to those sites; not affecting human cells (Simon). Antibiotics must target cell walls, membranes, nucleic acids, and proteins in bacterial cells; to inhibit or interfere with metabolic pathways and replication of bacterial cells. A lot of compounds are harmful to both human and bacterial cells. Therefore, it is important for antibiotics to selectively combat invading micro-organisms, while simultaneously leaving human cells unharmed (Mobley).
1.) Neomycin (class Aminoglycosides) has been used to treat tuberculosis. It can be combined with other medicines to treat skin infections (e.g. eye ointment; stops growth of bacteria on the surface of eye). It attaches to the bacterial cell wall, and it is drawn into the cell. Then it attaches to ribosomes in the cell. Eventually, the attachment shuts down the production of proteins or causes the cell to produce abnormal proteins; in which it kills the cell.
2.) Polymixins (class Polypeptides) are used to treat infections from gram-negative bacteria that are resistant to Penicillin and other antibiotics. It acts as a detergent, increasing the penetrability of the cell membrane causing the contents of the bacterial cell to leak out (Kimball).
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