Application
Tetracycline is a broad spectrum polyketide antibiotic. It is used clinically to treat bacterial infections such as Rocky Mountain spotted fever, typhus fever, tick fevers, Q fever, and Brill-Zinsser disease. It is used to treat upper respiratory infections and acne. It is used to study multidrug resistance as well as potential side effects such as acute pancreatitis.
Biochem/physiol Actions
Tetracycline inhibits bacterial protein synthesis elongation at the level of aminoacyl-tRNA binding to the 30S ribosome. Tetracycline passively diffuses through porin channels in the bacterial cell membrane. It also binds to the bacterial 50S ribosomal subunit which may alter the cytoplasmic membrane, causing intracellular components to leak from bacterial cells1. Mode of resistance is via loss of cell wall permeability.
性状：无臭，味苦；有引湿性；遇光色渐变深，在碱性溶液中易破坏失效。在水中溶解，在乙醇中略溶，在氯仿或中不溶。是广谱YJ剂，高浓度时具杀菌作用。
四环素从放线菌金色链丛菌（Streptomyces aureofa-ciens）的培养液等分离出来的KJ物质，对革兰氏阳性菌、阴性菌、立克次体、滤过性病毒、螺旋体属乃至原虫类都有很好的YZ作用，是一种广谱KJ素，对结核菌、变形菌等则无效。其作用机制是与核蛋白体的30S亚单位结合，从而阻止氨酰基-tRNA同核糖核蛋白体结合。
