How does antibiotics stop bacterial cell wall formation?

In order to be useful in treating human infections, antibiotics must selectively target bacteria for eradication and not the cells of its human host. read more

Bacteria constantly remodel their peptidoglycan cell walls, simultaneously building and breaking down portions of the cell wall as they grow and divide. β-Lactam antibiotics inhibit the formation of peptidoglycan cross-links in the bacterial cell wall; this is achieved through binding of the four-membered β-lactam ring of penicillin to the enzyme DD-transpeptidase. read more

Vancomycin, a glycopeptide antibiotic with a significantly larger structure, also prevents cell wall construction by interfering with transglycosylases. Its effectiveness is limited to Gram-positive bacteria because it is unable to penetrate the outer cytoplasmic membrane of Gram-negative bacteria due to its large size as compared to penicillin. read more

Antibiotics commonly target bacterial cell wall formation (of which peptidoglycan is an important component) because animal cells do not have cell walls. The peptidoglycan layer is important for cell wall structural integrity, being the outermost and primary component of the wall. read more