Clindamycin
Michael G. Rosenberg MD, PhD1
1 Department of Pediatrics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, NY
Editors: Henry M. Adam, MD.
Clindamycin (CM) is a chemically synthesized derivative of lincomycin, which originally was isolated from the soil actinomycete Streptomyces lincolnesis in 1962. CM essentially has replaced lincomycin therapeutically because of its broader antimicrobial spectrum and enhanced gastrointestinal absorption.
CM inhibits bacterial protein synthesis by binding to the 50S subunit of the bacterial ribosome, thereby blocking peptide chain initiation and elongation. CM functions as a bacteriostatic agent; however, in certain clinical situations, it can be considered bactericidal. Interestingly, the ribosomal binding sites of macrolide antibiotics (erythromycin, clarithromycin, etc) and chloramphenicol appear to overlap, leading to the theoretic concern of drug antagonism should these medications be used in combination.
