title: What is behind the non-antibiotic properties of minocycline?
abstract: Minocycline is a second-generation, semi-synthetic tetracycline that has been in use in therapy for over 30 years for its antibiotic properties against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. It displays antibiotic activity due to its ability to bind to the 30S ribosomal subunit of bacteria and thus inhibit protein synthesis. More recently, it has been described to exert a variety of biological actions beyond its antimicrobial activity, including anti-inflammatory and anti-apoptotic activities, inhibition of proteolysis, as well as suppression of angiogenesis and tumor metastasis, which have been confirmed in different experimental models of non-infectious diseases. There are also many studies that have focused on the mechanisms involved in these non-antibiotic properties of minocycline, including anti-oxidant activity, inhibition of several enzyme activities, inhibition of apoptosis and regulation of immune cell activation and proliferation. This review summarizes the current findings in this topic, mainly focusing on the mechanisms underlying the immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory activities of minocycline.
authors.affiliation: Centro de Investigaciones Biomédicas en Red-Enfermedades Hepáticas y Digestivas, Department of Pharmacology, Center for Biomedical Research, University of Granada, Granada, Spain. ngarrido@ugr.es
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Garrido-Mesa
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Zarzuelo
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gálvez
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000187:drug effects; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D007155:Immunologic Factors / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008911:Minocycline / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D009474:Neurons / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D000975:Antioxidants; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors; D007155:Immunologic Factors; D008911:Minocycline