Microbial enzymes and cellular components

Microbial enzymes and cellular components represent a broad classification of molecular structures within bacteria, fungi, viruses, and parasites that serve as the primary targets for antimicrobial therapy (Goodman & Gilman's The Pharmacological Basis of Therapeutics, 13th Ed). This category includes essential enzymes involved in metabolic pathways, such as dihydrofolate reductase, and structural components like the peptidoglycan cell wall or the 70S ribosome (Nature Reviews Drug Discovery, 2013, 12, 371–387). By targeting these microbial-specific elements, drugs can achieve selective toxicity, inhibiting the pathogen's growth or survival while minimizing impact on the human host (Microbiology and Molecular Biology Reviews, 2009, 73(1), 107-149). This classification is often used in pharmacological databases to group targets that are not host-derived, encompassing a wide range of mechanisms from cell wall assembly inhibition to the disruption of viral replication (ChEMBL Database, 2024). However, the clinical utility of drugs hitting these targets is frequently challenged by the emergence of antimicrobial resistance and the potential for disrupting the host's commensal microbiome (WHO, 2023).

Other names

Antimicrobial targetsPathogen componentsBacterial enzymesViral proteinsFungal cell wall components

Inhibition of cell wall synthesis, protein synthesis, nucleic acid replication, or metabolic pathways specific to microorganisms.