Document Type

Thesis - Open Access

Award Date

1968

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department / School

Pharmacy

Abstract

An antibacterial agent is a substance which destroys or suppresses bacterial growth or reproduction. The discovery of the antibacterial properties of the sulfonamides in 1935 by Gerhard Domagk began one of the brightest eras in modern anti-bacterial chemotherapy. These drugs have remained useful as antibacterial agents but the introduction of the antibiotics, particularly penicillin, has made the sulfonamides less popular. However, the sulfonamides are effective and are still used today. Antibacterial agents are not characterized by one chemical grouping or a particular mode of action. Phenols and alcohols, for example, act by denaturing protein. Others such as arsenic and the heavy metals exert their effect by reaction with the sulfhydryl grouping present as the active portion of certain enzymes. The sulfonamides interfere with the utilization of p-aminobenzoic acid in bacteria. The antibiotics including penicillin, cycloserine, vancomycin, and cephalothin inhibit the normal build-up of the cell wall in bacteria. The penicillin are of interest as the mechanism of action is directly related to the objective of this work. The proposed compound would theoretically interfere with the cell wall build-up since it does not have a binding site which is necessary for normal cell wall formation. However, the compound synthesized should be similar enough structurally to the normal precursors to be taken up by the same enzymes involved in the biosynthesis of the cell wall.

Library of Congress Subject Headings

Bacteria
Penicillin
Antibiotics

Format

application/pdf

Publisher

South Dakota State University

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