Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 28, 2026

11:17
Multiplex Therapeutic Drug Monitoring by Isotope-dilution HPLC-MS/MS of Antibiotics in Critical Illnesses
Published on: August 30, 2018
[Safety profile of antimicrobial agents]
1Department of Pharmacology, Jikei University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan. horis@jikei.ac.jp
Yakugaku Zasshi : Journal of the Pharmaceutical Society of Japan
|October 4, 2011
Summary
New quinolone antibiotics can cause convulsions, an effect worsened by anti-inflammatory drugs. Some quinolones also affect blood glucose levels, highlighting the need for understanding antibiotic safety profiles.
Area of Science:
- Pharmacology
- Microbiology
- Toxicology
Context:
- Antibiotics are crucial for treating infectious diseases.
- Adverse effects of antibiotics are known but often mechanistically unclear.
- New quinolones exhibit specific toxicities, including convulsions and effects on glucose metabolism.
Purpose:
- To investigate the adverse effects of new quinolone antibiotics.
- To characterize the interaction between new quinolones and anti-inflammatory drugs regarding convulsant activity.
- To assess the impact of specific new quinolones on blood glucose levels.
Summary:
- New quinolones possess individual convulsant activities, which can be potentiated by co-administration with anti-inflammatory drugs.
- Enoxacin, lomefloxacin, and gatifloxacin demonstrably reduce blood glucose levels in a dose-dependent manner.
- Ciprofloxacin and levofloxacin did not exhibit significant effects on blood glucose levels in reported cases.
Impact:
- Highlights the importance of understanding the distinct safety profiles of individual new quinolone antibiotics.
- Emphasizes the need for caution when prescribing new quinolones concurrently with anti-inflammatory agents.
- Informs clinical decision-making regarding the safe use of antimicrobial agents in patients with infectious diseases.
Related Concept Videos
Antimicrobial Effectiveness
The effectiveness of antimicrobial agents depends on various factors influencing their ability to eliminate microbial populations. Larger microbial populations require more time for complete eradication, emphasizing the importance of population size analysis when evaluating antimicrobial efficacy.Microbial resistance to antimicrobial agents varies significantly. Highly resilient microorganisms include endospores, gram-negative bacteria, and non-enveloped viruses, while prions are exceptionally...
Clinical Significance of Antibiotic Resistance
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) presents a critical public health threat, arising from its capacity to resist β-lactam antibiotics due to acquisition of the mecA gene within the staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec (SCCmec). This gene encodes penicillin-binding protein 2a (PBP2a), which impairs binding efficacy of methicillin and other β-lactams. MRSA has evolved into distinct clonal lineages impacting humans and animals alike, reinforcing its significance within the One...
Chemical Agents for Microbial Control
Chemicals play important roles in controlling microbial growth by targeting microbial structures and functions as sanitizers, antiseptics, disinfectants, and sterilants.Alcohols are commonly used sanitizers, effectively disrupting lipid membranes, which compromises cell integrity. They are also used as antiseptics and disinfectants due to their rapid action and versatility.Phenols and their derivatives phenolics , known for denaturing proteins and disrupting cell membranes, are particularly...
Surface Membrane Barriers
The skin and mucous membranes serve as the primary line of defense against pathogens by providing both physical and chemical protection. These barriers are essential in preventing the entry and establishment of microbes, thereby maintaining the integrity of the host.
The outer layer of the skin, the epidermis, is a robust barrier comprising layers of closely packed keratinized cells. This dense arrangement prevents microbes from penetrating the body. The periodic shedding of epidermal cells...
The outer layer of the skin, the epidermis, is a robust barrier comprising layers of closely packed keratinized cells. This dense arrangement prevents microbes from penetrating the body. The periodic shedding of epidermal cells...
Inhibitors of Bacterial DNA Synthesis
Bacterial pathogens depend on precise and efficient DNA replication to sustain infection. Two type II topoisomerases—DNA gyrase and topoisomerase IV—are critical to this process, as they resolve DNA supercoiling and unlink chromosomes during replication. Fluoroquinolones, synthetic derivatives of quinolones, exploit this mechanism by stabilizing the transient DNA–enzyme cleavage complex, preventing strand religation, and causing lethal double-strand breaks. These antibiotics are selectively...
Antifungal Agents
Amphotericin B is a broad-spectrum antifungal agent that exploits structural differences between fungal and mammalian cell membranes. Its amphipathic structure—featuring a hydrophobic polyene-lactone ring and a hydrophilic region containing mycosamine and carboxylic acid groups—enables selective binding to ergosterol, a sterol predominantly found in fungal plasma membranes. This selective interaction underlies the drug’s antifungal activity, although weak binding to cholesterol contributes to...
