Clindamycin is a lincosamide antibiotic used to treat serious infections caused by susceptible anaerobic, streptococcal, staphylococcal, and pneumococcal bacteria. It has a relatively narrow spectrum of activity that includes anaerobic bacteria as well as gram-positive cocci and bacilli and gram-negative bacilli.
- Mechanism
- Curator reviewed · 4 references
Clindamycin inhibits bacterial protein synthesis by binding to 23S RNA of the 50S subunit of the bacterial ribosome. It impedes both the assembly of the ribosome and the translation process. The molecular mechanism through which this occurs is thought to be due to clindamycin's three-dimensional structure, which closely resembles the 3'-ends of L-Pro-Met-tRNA and deacylated-tRNA during the peptide elongation cycle - in acting as a structural analog of these tRNA molecules, clindamycin impairs peptide chain initiation and may stimulate dissociation of peptidyl-tRNA from bacterial ribosomes.
The mechanism through which topical clindamycin treats acne vulgaris is unclear, but may be related to its activity against Propionibacterium acnes, a bacteria that has been associated with acne.
- Primary indication
- In oral and parenteral formulations, clindamycin is indicated for the treatment of serious infections caused by susceptible anaerobic bacteria, as well as susceptible staphylococci, streptococci, and pneumococci.Curator reviewed · 47 structured indications
- Formula / weight
- C18H33ClN2O5S · 424.98 g/mol (avg)
- First approval
- Canada, 1998 · United States, 1970
- Also known as
- 7-CDL
- Code names
- U-21,251
- Brand names
Resolves to
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Which drugs share a target with Clindamycin, and which of those have an active Phase 3 trial?
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