Sulfadoxine (CAS 2447-57-6)

Sulfadoxine, registered under CAS number 2447-57-6, is a synthetic chemical compound in the sulfonamide family, extensively utilized in research focused on microbial biochemistry and genetics. Like other sulfonamides, Sulfadoxine acts by inhibiting the enzyme dihydropteroate synthase, critical in the folate synthesis pathway of bacteria. This pathway is vital for the production of tetrahydrofolate, a necessary cofactor in the synthesis of purines and pyrimidines, which are building blocks of DNA and RNA. Sulfadoxine achieves its inhibitory effect by mimicking the structure of para-aminobenzoic acid (PABA), a natural substrate of dihydropteroate synthase, thereby competing with PABA for the active site of the enzyme and preventing its normal function in the folate synthesis pathway. This competition results in the blockage of folate production, ultimately inhibiting bacterial growth by starving the bacteria of necessary nucleotides. In research settings, Sulfadoxine has been employed to study the impact of enzymatic inhibition on bacterial growth and to understand the mechanisms through which bacteria develop resistance to sulfonamide inhibitors. These studies are crucial for advancing our knowledge of bacterial metabolism and resistance, providing insights that are applicable broadly in microbiology and antibiotic resistance research.