Antibiotics

In biology, antibiotics are organic compounds that originate from microorganisms, mainly bacteria and fungi, which are able to inhibit the growth or life processes of microorganisms. The antibiotics through their action cause mainly the death of a bacterial cell or affect  its metabolism in such a manner as to limit its ability to reproduce. In medicine, antibiotics are drugs designed to fight bacteria-driven infections or diseases. Antibiotics can act as bacteriostatic and fungistatic, inhibiting the reproduction of bacteria and fungi, and can be bacteriocidal or fungicidal, killing directly pathogenic bacterial and fungal cells.

Antibiotics action

Antibiotics can have different mechanisms of action, depending on their type and their intended use. They exhibit actions such as inhibiting cell wall synthesis, blocking the synthesis of proteins or nucleic acids, and destroying bacterial cell membranes. Many antibiotics are effective against bacterial infections, such as skin, urinary tract and respiratory infections and others. There are different types of antibiotics, and choosing the right one depends on the type of bacteria you want to fight. In the case of scientific research, antibiotics enable us to carry out experiments effectively and to verify the assumed research theses.

Antibiotics applications

Antibiotics are used in scientific studies, especially in molecular biology, genetics and biotechnology. They can be used to select or remove bacteria from culture media, to detect genetic mutations, and as a genetic engineering tool applied to bacteria and other microorganisms. The most commonly used antibiotics in biological studies are penicillin, kanamycin, ampicillin or chloramphenicol.

A noteworthy antibiotic is Hygromycin B, which is a selective antibiotic effective against most bacteria, fungi and higher eukaryotes, inhibiting protein synthesis by interfering with translocation. Hygromycin B is also used as a selection marker for T-DNA transfer and integration.

We would also like to recommend you Puromycin, which is an antibiotic that acts as an inhibitor of protein synthesis and also used as a tool to study protein synthesis in numerous systems. Puromycin can be used to select recombinant cells.

Antibiotics have a wide range of applications and the wide range of products in the EPRO store will enable you to choose the right product. You will find in the group of antibiotics offered by EPRO antibiotics both in powder form and in solution form.

Classification of antibiotics by spectrum of action

Antibiotics can be broken down based on their spectrum and mechanism of action. Antibiotics can damage the structure of the cell wall and/or membrane and disrupt the activities taking place within them. Examples of products that act in this manner are penicillin or vancomycin, for instance, that you will find in the EPRO's product portfolio. Antibiotics can also inhibit the synthesis of structural and enzymatic proteins of the cytosol, and here products such as neomycin, streptomycin, or tetracycline will appear. Another group are antibiotics that damage the genetic material of microorganisms, and rifampicin will be an example belonging to this particular group of antibiotics.

In our store you will find antibiotics that work against many types of bacteria, such as:

- Gram-positive bacteria, here our attention is drawn to penicillin and streptomycin, which act on Gram-positive bacteria and are effective against bacteria that have a thick layer of peptidoglycan in their cell wall. Penicillin and streptomycin also appear in combined form, that is, they form the so-called Pen-Strep.

- Gram-negative bacteria, covered with two cell membranes, the outer of which is made of lipopolysaccharides, makes them more resistant to antibiotics than Gram-positive bacteria. Among other things, EPRO offers you tetracycline, which has been shown to act specifically on Gram-negative bacteria.

- Mycobacteria, which are characterized by a thick, waxy envelope that makes them resistant to many antibiotics, cause many diseases such as tuberculosis and leprosy. Rifampicin is one of many antibiotics that are effective against mycobacteria. It is an antibiotic that works by blocking the activity of the RNA-polymerase enzyme, which prevents bacteria from synthesizing nucleic acids and inhibits their growth.

You can find a full range of antibiotics in our EPRO store. We invite you to take a look at the assortment. The products come from the renowned Canadian manufacturer BioShop . We will be happy to advise you on the selection of the right reagent and share our knowledge. We invite you to take advantage of our offer.