penicilinasa
Penicilinase, also known as beta-lactamase, is an enzyme produced by some bacteria that inactivates penicillin and related antibiotics. It achieves this by hydrolyzing the amide bond in the beta-lactam ring, a crucial structural component of these antibiotics. This hydrolysis renders the antibiotic ineffective in its ability to inhibit bacterial cell wall synthesis, thereby conferring antibiotic resistance to the bacteria.
The discovery of penicillinase played a significant role in understanding bacterial resistance mechanisms. Initially, penicillin was
Despite the development of penicillinase-resistant penicillins, bacteria continued to evolve, and new strains producing broader-spectrum beta-lactamases