Antimicrobial action targets microbes and disrupts their metabolism and structure, causing them to cease multiplying and die. Microbicidal or microbiostatic action can be used to accomplish this phenomenon. The microbicidal effect kills the microorganism, whereas microbiostatic activity limits growth reversibly (VanMeter & Hubert, 2015). Generally, the five types of antimicrobial mechanisms include suppression of peptidoglycan production, obstructing protein synthesis, hindering nucleic acid manufacturing, interference with the plasma membrane, and metabolic disruption.
Cell wall synthesis inhibition works by disrupting various sites in the murein layer. Essentially, it induces weakening in the cell wall at growth spots, making the cell vulnerable to microbicidal or microbiostatic effects. In contrast, impairing the protein synthesis involves interfering with the translation mechanism at the ribosome–messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) complex (VanMeter & Hubert, 2015). Human cells are typically unharmed by this phenomenon due to structural variations between bacterial and eukaryotic ribosomes.
The process of inhibiting nucleic acid synthesis is complex, but it interrupts nucleotide synthesis, hinders DNA replication, and interferes with RNA transcription. According to VanMeter and Hubert (2015), considering the intricacy, synthesis can be disrupted at any stage along the way, and suppression at any point can prevent the subsequent events from occurring. Another critical mechanism of action is the disruption of the plasma membrane. Antimicrobial drugs can cause alteration of the plasma membrane, thus fostering microbicidal or microbiostatic action. Damage to the plasma membrane can impair the passage of substances into and out of the cell and its ability to maintain vitality.
The inhibition of the metabolic pathways is another mechanism that determines antimicrobial action. Essentially, it involves blocking the synthesis of other crucial metabolic substances like folic acid and obstructing vital enzymatic activity or processing. Generally, this can be detrimental to any cell’s overarching metabolism, permitting antibacterial agents to be used against a wide range of microbes (VanMeter & Hubert, 2015). Any of these aberrations can ultimately lead to cell death. Therefore, it is crucial to understand how this occurs when developing novel antimicrobial drugs.
Reference
VanMeter, K. C., & Hubert, R. J. (2015). Microbiology for the healthcare professional (2nd ed.). Elsevier Health Sciences. Web.