Inhibition of protein synthesis in rat intestinal slices by tetracycline.

Abstract

THE tetracycline group of drugs have been found to inhibit protein synthesis in in vitro systems composed of ribosome and supernatant fractions derived from microbial as well as mammalian cells1–3. It has also been reported that chlortetracycline reduces the in vivo incorporation of 35S-methionine into liver, spleen, kidney, and gastric mucosa proteins in the rabbit4. In this report tetracycline was administered to rats and intestinal slices were later tested in vitro for incorporation of 14C-L-leucine into protein. Tetracycline clearly inhibited protein synthesis by rat jejunal slices.