Tetracycline is a broad-use antibiotic that is produced by Streptomyces and used to treat bacterial infections such as rocky mountain spotted fever, typhus fever and tick fevers. it is most effectively administered orally but can also be administered via intramuscular injection. It has a half-life of 6-12 hours and is concentrated by the liver and excreted through the urine and feces. Tetracycline can passively transport itself through the bacterial membrane and goes on to inhibit bacterial growth. It stops bacterial growth by binding to the 30S subunits that inhibit the transfer of amino-acyl tRNA to site A of the ribosome. Thus halting protein synthesis and stopping bacterial growth.

Tetracycline Pathway References