Question

How do antibiotics affect peptidoglycan?

Answer 1

Hint: Antibody known as immunoglobulin is a protective protein produced by our immune system in response to the presence of a foreign substance that is an antigen. Antibodies recognize and latch onto antigens so that it can remove them from the body.

Complete answer:
Peptidoglycan, also known as murein, is a polymer composed of sugars and amino acids that forms a mesh-like layer outside of most bacteria's plasma membrane, forming the cell wall. The sugar component is made up of alternating -(1,4) linked N-acetylglucosamine (NAG) and N-acetylmuramic acid residues (NAM).

Antibiotics can be effective against peptidoglycan. Because peptidoglycan is a critical cell structure, antibiotics such as -lactams and glycopeptides target its assembly (e.g., vancomycin). Resistant staphylococci modify peptidoglycan synthesis in response to cell wall–active antibiotics (see "Antibiotic Resistance").

Many antibiotics, including penicillin, work by attacking bacteria's cell walls. The drugs specifically prevent bacteria from synthesizing peptidoglycan, a molecule in the cell wall that provides the wall with the strength it requires to survive in the human body.

Human cells do not synthesize and do not require peptidoglycan. Antibiotics (Penicillin) prevent the final cross-linking step in the assembly of this macromolecule. As a result, the delicate cell wall bursts, resulting in the bacterium's destruction. Human hosts are not harmed because penicillin does not inhibit any such biochemical activity in the body.

Note: Taking antibiotics too frequently or for the wrong reasons can cause bacteria to change to the point where antibiotics no longer work against them. This is referred to as bacterial or antibiotic resistance. Even the most potent antibiotics are no longer effective against some bacteria. Antibiotic resistance is becoming more of a problem.