Macrolide

<p>Macrolides are a class of mostly <a href="/facts/Natural_product/J4RsVhmP">natural products</a> with a large <a href="/facts/Macrocycle/4GPougjf">macrocyclic</a> <a href="/facts/Lactone/UMgRUFtj">lactone</a> ring to which one or more <a href="/facts/Deoxy_sugar/ADSYLqcB">deoxy sugars</a>, usually <a href="/facts/Cladinose/ARal4FsC">cladinose</a> and <a href="/facts/Desosamine/67DSe09D">desosamine</a>, may be attached. Macrolides belong to the <a href="/facts/Polyketide/94pDr3fm">polyketide</a> class of natural products. Some macrolides have <a href="/facts/Antibiotic/sF1kIfxg">antibiotic</a> or <a href="/facts/Antifungal/WEk5nS2B">antifungal</a> activity and are used as <a href="/facts/Pharmaceutical_drug/h9mhwWP2">pharmaceutical drugs</a>. <a href="/facts/Rapamycin/9hdLP135">Rapamycin</a> is also a macrolide and was originally developed as an antifungal, but has since been used as an <a href="/facts/Immunosuppressant_drug/ctlB3Hda">immunosuppressant drug</a> and is being investigated as a potential <a href="/facts/Life_extension/uQj1vQdg">longevity therapeutic</a>.
</p><p>Macrolides are a diverse group with many members of very different properties:
</p>
<ul><li>Macrolides with 14-, 15-, or 16-membered rings and two attached sugar molecules are antibiotics that bind to bacterial ribosomes, the key representative being <a href="/facts/Erythromycin/dPt7avsU">erythromycin</a>. The term "macrolide antibiotics" tend to refer to just this class.</li>
<li>Some macrolides with very large (20+ membered) rings are immunosuppresants, the prototypical one being <a href="/facts/Rapamycin/9hdLP135">rapamycin</a>.</li>
<li>Some 23-membered macrolides are also antibiotics that bind to the 50S part of the bacterial ribosome, see <a href="/facts/Streptogramin_A/QlbWTToX">streptogramin A</a>.</li>
<li><a href="/facts/Polyene_antimycotic/3YQ5tTDm">Polyene antimycotics</a> are also technically macrolides.</li></ul>

Macrolide open-in-new

Macrolide