The following animation depicts the mechanism of action of aminoglycosides. This antibiotic class includes drugs such as gentamicin, streptomycin (used for TB treatment), amikacin, among others.
Aminoglycosides mechanism
Susceptible gram-negative organisms allow aminoglycosides to diffuse through porin channels in their outer membranes. These organisms also have an oxygen-dependent system that transports the drug across the cytoplasmic membrane. The antibiotic then binds to the 30S ribosomal subunit prior to ribosome formation .
There, it interferes with assembly of the functional ribosomal apparatus and/or can cause the 30S subunit of the completed ribosome to misread the genetic code. Polysomes become depleted, because the aminoglycosides interrupt the process of polysome disaggregation and assembly. [Note: The aminoglycosides synergize with β-lactam antibiotics because of the latter’s action on cell wall synthesis, which enhances diffusion of the aminoglycosides into the bacterium.]”
Aminoglycosides classification
-mycin (Streptomyces)
- Streptomycin
- Neomycin (Framycetin, Paromomycin, Ribostamycin)
- Kanamycin (Amikacin, Arbekacin, Bekanamycin, Dibekacin, Tobramycin)
- Hygromycin B · Spectinomycin
- Paromomycin
-micin (Micromonospora)
- Amikacin
- Gentamicin (Netilmicin, Sisomicin, Isepamicin)
- Verdamicin
- Astromicin
Further reading
Gallagher, J. “Antibiotics Simplified”. 1st edition. Jones & Bartlett Publishers: 2008
Animation author
Gary Kaiser
Biology Department
The Community College of Baltimore County, Catonsville Campus
Baltimore, MD 21228
USA
Email: gkaiser@ccbcmd.edu