Pharmacology of inhibitor-protected beta-lactam agents

Abstract

Beta-lactam antibiotics are the most widely used class of antibacterial drugs, both for outpatient and hospital infections. Their further improvement in relation to overcoming the resistance of microorganisms to this group of antibiotics has given new opportunities in the treatment of severe infectious diseases. Due to the obtained high efficiency of β-lactam antibiotics and their low toxicity, they form the basis of antimicrobial chemotherapy at present. Antibiotic resistance is the phenomenon of resistance of a stain of infectious agents to the action of one or more antibacterial drugs. It is a reduced sensitivity (resistance, immunity) of a culture of microorganisms to the action of an antibacterial substance. One of the main mechanisms for the formation of bacterial resistance to them is the production of beta-lactams. To overcome the acquired resistance widespread among microorganisms, compounds have been developed that can irreversibly suppress the activity of these enzymes, the so-called beta-lactam inhibitors - clavulanic acid (clavulanate), sulbactam and tazobactam. They are used to create combined (inhibitor-protected) beta-lactams. Currently, there are several fixed combinations of beta-lactams and beta-lactam inhibitors on the pharmaceutical market. The review article presents the key issues of pharmacology of inhibitor-protected beta-lactam antibacterial drugs.