Clindamycin chemical structure
Find information on thousands of medical conditions and prescription drugs.

Clindamycin

Clindamycin is a lincosamide antibiotic. Clindamycin is a semisynthetic antibiotic and derived from lincomycin by the addition of chloride. Clindamycin is sold under brand names such as Dalacin and Cleocin. It is most effective against infections involving the following types of organisms: more...

Home
Diseases
Medicines
A
B
C
Cabergoline
Caduet
Cafergot
Caffeine
Calan
Calciparine
Calcitonin
Calcitriol
Calcium folinate
Campath
Camptosar
Camptosar
Cancidas
Candesartan
Cannabinol
Capecitabine
Capoten
Captohexal
Captopril
Carbachol
Carbadox
Carbamazepine
Carbatrol
Carbenicillin
Carbidopa
Carbimazole
Carboplatin
Cardinorm
Cardiolite
Cardizem
Cardura
Carfentanil
Carisoprodol
Carnitine
Carvedilol
Casodex
Cataflam
Catapres
Cathine
Cathinone
Caverject
Ceclor
Cefacetrile
Cefaclor
Cefaclor
Cefadroxil
Cefazolin
Cefepime
Cefixime
Cefotan
Cefotaxime
Cefotetan
Cefpodoxime
Cefprozil
Ceftazidime
Ceftriaxone
Ceftriaxone
Cefuroxime
Cefuroxime
Cefzil
Celebrex
Celexa
Cellcept
Cephalexin
Cerebyx
Cerivastatin
Cerumenex
Cetirizine
Cetrimide
Chenodeoxycholic acid
Chloralose
Chlorambucil
Chloramphenicol
Chlordiazepoxide
Chlorhexidine
Chloropyramine
Chloroquine
Chloroxylenol
Chlorphenamine
Chlorpromazine
Chlorpropamide
Chlorprothixene
Chlortalidone
Chlortetracycline
Cholac
Cholybar
Choriogonadotropin alfa
Chorionic gonadotropin
Chymotrypsin
Cialis
Ciclopirox
Cicloral
Ciclosporin
Cidofovir
Ciglitazone
Cilastatin
Cilostazol
Cimehexal
Cimetidine
Cinchophen
Cinnarizine
Cipro
Ciprofloxacin
Cisapride
Cisplatin
Citalopram
Citicoline
Cladribine
Clamoxyquine
Clarinex
Clarithromycin
Claritin
Clavulanic acid
Clemastine
Clenbuterol
Climara
Clindamycin
Clioquinol
Clobazam
Clobetasol
Clofazimine
Clomhexal
Clomid
Clomifene
Clomipramine
Clonazepam
Clonidine
Clopidogrel
Clotrimazole
Cloxacillin
Clozapine
Clozaril
Cocarboxylase
Cogentin
Colistin
Colyte
Combivent
Commit
Compazine
Concerta
Copaxone
Cordarone
Coreg
Corgard
Corticotropin
Cortisone
Cotinine
Cotrim
Coumadin
Cozaar
Crestor
Crospovidone
Cuprimine
Cyanocobalamin
Cyclessa
Cyclizine
Cyclobenzaprine
Cyclopentolate
Cyclophosphamide
Cyclopropane
Cylert
Cyproterone
Cystagon
Cysteine
Cytarabine
Cytotec
Cytovene
Isotretinoin
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z
  • Aerobic gram-positive cocci, including some members of the Staphylococcus and Streptococcus (eg. pneumococcus) genera.
  • Anaerobic gram-negative bacilli, including some members of the Bacteroides and Fusobacterium genera.

It is used primarily to treat infections caused by susceptible anaerobic bacteria. Such infections might include respiratory infections, septicemia and peritonitis. In penicillin allergic patients clindamycin may be used to treat susceptible aerobic infections as well. It is also used to treat bone-infections caused by Staphylococcus aureus. Topical application of clindamycin phosphate can be used to treat severe acne.

Available forms

Clindamycin is commonly administered in penal caps as hydrochloride or in oral suspension as palmitate hydrochloride. It is also available for intravenous injection as phosphate. In topical preparations clindamycin is as hydrochloride or phosphate (Evoclin®).

Mechanism of action

Clindamycin has a bacteriostatic effect. Clindamycin interferes with bacterial protein synthesis, in a similar way as erythromycin and chloramphenicol, by binding to the 50S subunit of the bacterial ribosome. This causes antagonism if administered simultaneously and possible cross-resistance.

Pharmacokinetics

Almost all of orally administered clindamycin is absorbed from the gastro-intestinal tract, and it is widely distributed throughout the body, excluding the central nervous system. Clindamycin phosphate, as injection, is inactive, but it is rapidly hydrolysed in the blood to active clindamycin. High concentrations of clindamycin can be found in the bile (up 100 times higher than in the plasma). Adequate concentrations can also be found in the bone, and there is also active uptake into leucocytes.

Metabolism

Most of clindamycin is metabolised in the liver, and some of its metabolites are active, such as N-demethyl and sulphoxide-metabolites, and some are inactive. Clindamycin's half-life is 21 hours. Both active clindamycin and its metabolites are excreted primarily in the urine and some in the bile.

Side effects

Common side effects are mainly gastrointestinal disturbances. Clindamycin can cause a potentially lethal condition, pseudomembranous colitis, which is caused by Clostridium difficile, a clindamycin resistant bacteria (all the other bacteria have been killed by clindamycin, allowing C. difficile to over-proliferate and cause inflammation of the colon). Rare instances of polyarthritis (inflamation of several joints) have also been reported. In some cases this polyarthritis side effect feels like extreme flu-like aching througout the body.

Read more at Wikipedia.org


[List your site here Free!]


Reassessment of combining benzoyl peroxide with clindamycin - Letters To The Editor - Letter to the Editor
From Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, 12/1/02 by Craig N. Burkhart

Dear Dr. Robins:

I was most interested in the article by Tschen and Jones concerning the clinical and antimicrobial results of the topical combination product containing clindamycin and benzoyl peroxide (1). Previous publications have also revealed the mixture of topical antibiotics and benzoyl peroxide diminishes the multiplication of antibiotic-resistant strains (2). Such combination therapies are hypothesized to gain their efficacy by the coupled action of two effective acne treatments. Of note, there has been a dearth of chemical data proving any synergistic activity with such a combination.

In the laboratory, I have compared the radical activity of benzoyl peroxide alone, and with various antibiotics, to determine whether there might be some synergism chemically (3). In the case of benzoyl peroxide and erythromycin, increased amounts of benzoyl peroxide derived radicals were likely formed through the interaction of benzoyl peroxide with the tertiary amine on the erythromycin molecule3. This catalysis of benzoyl peroxide radical formation may have far greater function than benzoyl peroxide and erythromycin alone in terms of the myriad oxidized intermediates that may interact with various constituents of microbial cells and the Propionibacterium acnes biofilm (4).

By using polymerization of tetra ethylene glycol dimethacrylate as the test of benzoyl peroxide radical activity, a search for other chemicals with tertiary amines or similar structures to potentiate radical formation by benzoyl peroxide can be ascertained for which a patent is pending. We did not test clindamycin in our initial study, but this may prove warranted as in vitro studies, with just parameters, are useful for comparative analysis.

Bibliography:

(1.) Tschen E, Jones T. A new treatment for acne vulgaris combining benzoyl peroxide with clindamycin. J Drugs Dermatol 2002; 1:153-7.

(2.) Warner GT, Plosker GL (Brown M, Burkhart CN, Hickman JG, Strasburger VC, West DP, contributors). Clindamycin/benzoyl peroxide gel: A review of its use in the management of acne. Am J Clin Dermatol 2002; 3:349-60.

(3.) Burkhart CN, Specht M, Neckers D. Synergistic activity of benzoyl peroxide and erythromycin. Skin Pharmacology and Applied Skin Physiology 2000; 13:292-296.

(4.) Burkhart CN, Burkhart CG. Microbiologic principle of biofilms as a major factor in pathogenesis of acne. International Journal of Dermatology (accepted 2002).

Craig N. Burkhart

Department of Immunology and Microbiology

Medical College of Ohio

5600 Monroe Street, Suite 106B

Sylvania, Ohio 43560

E-mail: Cburkhart@mco.edu

COPYRIGHT 2002 Journal of Drugs in Dermatology
COPYRIGHT 2003 Gale Group

Return to Clindamycin
Home Contact Resources Exchange Links ebay