Sulfonamides Antibacterial Agents

Sulfonamides antibacterial agents
 Sulfa drugs were discovered when a red dye called

prontosil has shown in-vivo antibacterial activity while
it was in-vitro inactive. This supports the idea that
prontosil to exert its action, it has to be activated by
the host metabolic pathways to give the active form.
Sulfonamides antibacterial agents
 They are the first synthetic antibacterial agents.
 They have good antibacterial activity mainly on gram
+ve bacteria.
 limitation of the sulfa drugs use:
 Sulfa allergic reactions.
 The formation of crystalluria.
 They give toxic metabolites after the oxidation of the
aromatic amine:
SAR of sulfonamides
 P-amino group is essential for activity and should
be free (unsubstituted) except in the case of prodrugs
in which it will be as amide linkage that will be
hydrolyzed to give the active free form.
 The aromatic ring and the sulfonamide group are
important for activity.
 The sulfonamide and the amino group must be directly
attached to the ring and in P position to each other.
 Any extra substitution will reduce activity.
 Sulfonamide nitrogen must be either primary or
secondary.
Mechanism of action
 Sulfonamides are a competitive inhibitors of
dihydropteroate synthetase which is a vital enzyme for the
synthesis of tetrahydrofolate ( Coenzyme F).
Tetrahydrofolate is important for pyrimidine nucleic acid
synthesis so the bacteria can no longer grow and divide
which gives time for the host immune system to destroy the
bacterial cells.
 Sulfonamide is not recommended in patients with weak or
impaired immune system.
 This binding is reversible.
 Because of that sulfonamides have bacteriostatic effect not
bactericidal.
Mechanism of action
Mechanism of action
 Sulfonamides mimic P-aminobenzoic acid (PABA)
which is the normal substrate for dihydropteroate
synthetase. This means that sulfonamide will bind in
the same manner as PABA:
Mechanism of action
 Because sulfonamides are competitive inhibitors for
the enzyme, the bacteria can increase the production
of PABA to compete with sulfonamide at the active site
and become resistant to sulfa drugs.
 In such case, the dose of sulfonamide agents should be
increased to overcome this resistant mechanism. But
this high dose is accompanied with an increase in side
effects especially the crystalluria.
Mechanism of action
 In human, the cell synthesized tetrahydrofolate from
folic acid that obtained from food sources. This folic
acid is normally transported to inside the cell by
special transport system.
 Bacterial cell does not have such transport system and
they should synthesize tetrahydrofolate using PABA.
 For that reason, human cells do not need
dihydropteroate synthetaze enzyme which means
sulfonamides have selective antibacterial activity.
Folic acid O CO 2H
(diet) N CO 2H
O
N
HN
H
Mammalian Folate
HN
H2N N N
GUT biosynthesis
Dihydrofolate
Dihydrofolate
synthetase
reductase
Dihydrofolate Tetrahydrofolate
Methylenetetrahydrofolate
Thymidylate
synthetase
dTMP dUMP
(Thymidine) (uridine)
DNA synthesis
The problem of crystalluria
 Sulfonamides are mostly excreted in urine as
acetylated metabolite.
 They are relatively water insoluble mainly due to the
formation of the acetylated metabolites.
 The acetylated metabolite is non-ionizable under the

pH conditions of the urine (≈ 7) that increase the
possibility of precipitation and the formation of
crystals in the urine (crystalluria)
The problem of crystalluria
 How to minimize the possibility of crystalluria
formation with sulfonamides:
 Increase the urine flow.
 Increase the pH of the urine to increase the ionization of
sulfonamides and the formation of water soluble salts
(this can be done by taking sodium bicarbonate or
potassium citrate.
 Lowering the pKa of the sulfonamide group which will
help to increase the ionization under the acidic
conditions. This can be done by adding electron
withdrawing group on the sulfonamide side chain
Sulfonamides with reduced
crystalluria formation
Sulfonamide derivatives
 Differ mainly in the substitution at the sulfonamide
side chain… derivatives with heterocyclic or aromatic
ring. This was done to:
 Reduce the pKa of the sulfonamide... Reduce
crystalluria.
 Increase protein binding by adding lipophilic
heterocycles…. Long lasting derivatives.
 Few derivatives have the amino group at the P position
being derivatized except in sulfonamide prodrugs
Sulfonamide prodrugs
 Succinyl sulfathiazole:
 Mainly used for intestinal infections.
 It has a carboxylic acid at the amine side chain… ionized
in intestine… will not be absorbed…. So it has only local
effect.
 The gradual hydrolysis of the amide will liberate the

active form; sulfathiazole.
Sulfonamide prodrugs
 Sulfasalazine:
 Used in local intestinal infections.
 Gives sulfapyridine and 5-aminosalicylic acid upon the
breakdown of the azo bond.
 Used mainly in ulcerative colitis.
Other folate reductase inhibitors
 Trimethoprim:
 Inhibits dihydrofolate reductase: this enzyme has
human homologue but they do not have that much
similarity in structure…. Therefore trimethoprim is 1000
more active on the bacterial copy of this enzyme..
 Normally used in combination with sulfamethoxazole
(cotrimoxazole):
 Lower dose from both drugs means less side effects.
 More effective than the monotherapy since they are targeting
two different enzymes in the same metabolic pathway… this is
what is called sequential blocking.
Protein binding of sulfonamides
 Vary in plasma protein binding: Sulfaisoxazole… 76%,
Sulfamethoxazole... 60%, sulfadiazine.... 38%.
 The fraction that is protein bound is not available for
enzyme inhibition, therefore this fraction is inactive.
 The protein binding is a reversible process, so there will be
a gradual release of sulfonamide which will become
available.
 Factors affecting protein binding of sulfonamides:
 Lipophilicity of the structure.
 Substitution on the free amine will increase protein binding
(such as the acetylayed metabolite is more protein bound
than the parent sulfonamide).
Protein binding of sulfonamides
 Since albumin is basic, acidic and neutral drugs will
primarily bind to albumin.
 If albumin becomes saturated, then these drugs will
bind to lipoprotein.
 Basic drugs will bind to the acidic alpha-1 acid
glycoprotein.
 Protein binding can influence the drug's biological
half-life in the body but this relationship still not clear
since some drugs with low protein binding have long
duration of action (sulfisoxazole: protein binding 37%
and half life is 17 hours).

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Sulfonamides antibacterial agents

 Sulfa drugs were discovered when a red dye called

 The acetylated metabolite is non-ionizable under the

 The gradual hydrolysis of the amide will liberate the

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