-antimicrobials that can kill or inhibit growth of susceptible organisms.
-usually they affect a metabolic pathway -can be synthetically produced 1. Beta-lactam (ring or pennan) - is a lactam consisting of a heteroatomic ring structure containing 3 carbons and one nitrogen atom. -bind and inhibit enzymes involved in cell wall synthesis -lethal to dividing bacteria -resistance to beta-lactams due to enzyme "beta-lactamase" 2. Penicillin - used to treat usually gram + bacteria -derived from blue-green mold Penicillium -binds irreversibly to transpeptidase and prevents it from cross-linking the peptidoglycan units of the cell wall. 3. Cephalosporin - belongs beta-lactam family, bactericidal, prevents cell wall synthesis 4. Tetracycline - interferes with protein synthesis by binding to ribosomes 5. Glycopeptides - molecules that interfere with synthesis of bacterial cell wall 6. Polymyxin - damages cytoplasmic membrane of bacteria (from Bacillus polymyxa) 7. Aminoglycosides - collection of antibiotics that target cell ribosomes and cause error reading of the mRNA inhibiting protein synthesis. (Includes amikacin, gentamycin, kenamycin, neomycin, streptomycin, etc.) 8. Rifampin - derived from rifamycin -interferes with RNA synthesis by binding to RNA polymerase *Antifungal drugs -typically toxic to humans