Metronidazole: Pharmacodynamics and Therapeutic Uses

Description

Metronidazole is one of the mainstay drugs for the treatment of anaerobic bacterial infections, protozoal infections, and microaerophilic bacterial infections. It is cytotoxic to facultative anaerobic microorganisms.

Pharmacodynamics

Metronidazole is of the nitroimidazole class. It inhibits nucleic acid synthesis by forming nitroso radicals, which disrupt the DNA of microbial cells.This function only occurs when metronidazole is partially reduced, and because this reduction usually happens only in anaerobic bacteria and protozoans, it has relatively little effect upon human cells or aerobic bacteria.¹

Therapeutic Uses

Metronidazole is a versatile antibiotic and antiparasitic agent that plays a crucial role in treating a variety of infections predominantly caused by anaerobic bacteria and certain parasites. Its therapeutic uses extend across several common and significant health conditions. One of the primary applications of Metronidazole is in treating bacterial vaginosis, a common bacterial infection of the vagina. Metronidazole is effective in eliminating the bacteria responsible for this condition, typically prescribed as 500 mg tablets taken orally twice daily for seven days or as a single 2 g dose.²

Side effects

Common side effects include nausea, a metallic taste, loss of appetite, and headaches. Occasionally seizures or allergies to the medication may occur. Some state that metronidazole should not be used in early pregnancy, while others state doses for trichomoniasis are safe. Metronidazole is generally considered compatible with breastfeeding.

Reference

1. Eisenstein BI, Schaechter M (2007). "DNA and Chromosome Mechanics". In Schaechter M, Engleberg NC, DiRita VJ, Dermody T (eds.). Schaechter's Mechanisms of Microbial Disease. Hagerstown, MD: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. p. 28.

2. Hernández Ceruelos A, Romero-Quezada LC, Ruvalcaba Ledezma JC, López Contreras L. Therapeutic uses of metronidazole and its side effects: an update. Eur Rev Med Pharmacol Sci. 2019; 23(1): 397-401.

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