General Information

• Metronidazole is a synthetic nitroimidazole derivative with antiprotozoal and antibacterial activities and acts against protozoa, anaerobic gram-positive, and anaerobic gram-negative bacteria
• Metronidazole is considered a prodrug that produces nitroso-containing intermediates in the cell that can covalently bind DNA, disrupting helical structure, inducing DNA strand breaks, and inhibiting bacterial nucleic acid synthesis, that results in bacterial cell death

Applications

• Metronidazole shows anti-parasitic and anti-amoebic activities.
• It has been used to prevent the growth of gram-negative anaerobes belonging to the Bacteroides and Fusobacterium, and gram-positive anaerobes such as Peptostreptococcus and Clostridia. This compound affects a high percentage of gram-negative bacteria and has higher tissue penetration that gives it an advantage compared to other compounds.
• This compound was used initially to suppress protozoans such as Entamoeba histolytica, Giardia lamblia, and Trichomonas vaginalis.
• It has been commonly applied for the eradication of Helicobacter pylori.
• It also has a radio-sensitizing effect on hypoxic tumor cells and can have a mutagenic activity in in vivo animal models.