classification by mode of action
Last reviewed 01/2018
Antibacterial agents exploit the differences between eukaryote and bacterial metabolic processes. When processes in eukaryotic cells and bacteria are examined there are two broad divisions which can be made. Firstly the processes may be similar but using different enzymes, for example the process of construction of peptide chains. Secondly there may be entirely different processes in bacteria which do not occur in eukaryotes at all, like the synthesis of bacterial cell walls.
The menu below lists a variety of the levels at which antibiotics act.
bacterial wall synthesis inhibitors
bacterial protein synthesis inhibitors
bacterial DNA function inhibitors