Tetracycline

Structure of tetracycline

Tetracycline is an antibiotic discovered as a natural product in 1945. It is a broad-spectrum antibiotic[verification needed] because it works against a range of bacteria. It is made to treat a number of bacterial infections. It is commonly used to treat acne and rosacea[verification needed]. It is a protein synthesis inhibitor[verification needed].

It is produced naturally by the Streptomyces genus of Actinobacteria. In 1950, Harvard University professor Robert Burns Woodward worked out the chemical structure of the related oxytetracycline (Terramycin). Historically it was important in reducing the number of deaths from cholera[verification needed].

Tetracycline was patented in 1953 and was approved for prescription use in 1954. It is on the World Health Organization's List of Essential Medicines. Tetracycline is available as a generic medication. Tetracycline was originally made from bacteria of the genus Streptomyces.

References

  1. ↑ Jukes, T. H. (1985). "Some Historical Notes on Chlortetracycline". Clinical Infectious Diseases. pp. 702–707. doi:10.1093/clinids/7.5.702. PMID 3903946.
  2. ↑ U.S. Patent 2,699,054A 
  3. ↑ Nelson, Mark L.; Levy, Stuart B. (2011). "The history of the tetracyclines". Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences. 1241 (1): 17–32. Bibcode:2011NYASA1241...17N. doi:10.1111/j.1749-6632.2011.06354.x. ISSN 1749-6632. PMID 22191524.
  4. ↑ Fischer J, Ganellin CR (2006). Analogue-based Drug Discovery. John Wiley & Sons. p. 489. ISBN 9783527607495. Archived from the original on 20 December 2016.
  5. ↑ World Health Organization (2019). World Health Organization model list of essential medicines: 21st list 2019. Geneva: World Health Organization. hdl:10665/325771. WHO/MVP/EMP/IAU/2019.06. License: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO.
  6. ↑ "WHO Model List of EssentialMedicines" (PDF). World Health Organization. October 2013. Retrieved 22 April 2014.
  7. 1 2 "Tetracycline Monograph for Professionals". Drugs.com. Retrieved 2025-04-05.