Tetracyclines: their non-antibiotic properties

Written by David Pascoe on February 24, 2006 in Rosacea Fact Sheets, tetracyclines with 0 Comments

More published research about the `non antibiotic’ properties of Tetracyclines. See below for links to more research about low dose doxycycline and up-and-coming tetracycline derivaties: Incyclinide and Oracea.

Tetracyclines: nonantibiotic properties and their clinical implications.

Journal American Academy of Dermatology, 2006 Feb;54(2):258-65.

Allen N. Sapadin MD, and Raul Fleischmajer MD., Department of Dermatology, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, New York 10029-6574, USA.

Tetracyclines are broad-spectrum antibiotics that act as such at the ribosomal level where they interfere with protein synthesis. They were first widely prescribed by dermatologists in the early 1950s when it was discovered that they were effective as a treatment for acne. More recently, biologic actions affecting inflammation, proteolysis, angiogenesis, apoptosis, metal chelation, ionophoresis, and bone metabolism have been researched. The therapeutic effects of tetracycline and its analogues in various diseases have also been investigated. These include rosacea, bullous dermatoses, neutrophilic diseases, pyoderma gangrenosum, sarcoidosis, aortic aneurysms, cancer metastasis, periodontitis, and autoimmune disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis and scleroderma. We review the nonantibiotic properties of tetracycline and its analogues and their potential for clinical application.

Abbreviations used: CMT, chemically modified tetracycline; IL, interleukin; MMP, matrix metalloproteinase