Study of Interaction of Vancomycin with DNA, and Determination of DNA Via Resonance Rayleigh Scattering (CAT#: STEM-ST-0041-YJL)

Introduction

Vancomycin (VCM) is a tricyclic glycopeptide antibiotic used in the treatment of severe gram-positive infections, especially such infections as pneumonia, endocarditis, and sepsis caused by methicillinresistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and methicillin-resistant staphylococcus epidermidis (MRSE). It has traditionally been reserved as a drug of “last resort”, used only after treatment with other antibiotics had failed. The emergence of vancomycin-resistant strains requiring higher concentrations in order to be effective has aroused concerns which have promoted efforts to elucidate its mechanism of action for developing better analogs or strategies. It has been thought that VCM binds to components of the bacterial cell wall in addition to specific targets of the peptidoglycan. Whether VCM can bind to DNA and affect the biological function of DNA is not sufficiently clear. It is therefore very significant to study the interaction of DNA with VCM for further understanding of the antibacterial effect and side effects of VCM.