Aminoglycoside antibiotics

In the 50 years since their discovery, the aminoglycoside antibiotics have seen unprecedented use, Discovered in the 1940s, they were the long-sought remedy for tuberculosis and other serious bacterial infections. The side ef fects of renal and auditory toxicity, however, led to a decline of their us e in most countries in the 1970s and 1980s, Nevertheless, today the aminogl ycosides are still the most commonly used antibiotics worldwide thanks to t he combination of their high efficacy with low cost. This review first summ arizes the history, chemistry, antibacterial actions and acute side effects of the drugs. It then details the pathophysiology of aminoglycoside ototox icity including experimental and clinical observations, risk factors and in cidence, Pharmacokinetics, cellular actions and our current understanding o f the underlying molecular mechanisms of ototoxicity are discussed at lengt h. The review concludes with recent advances towards therapeutic interventi on to prevent aminoglycoside ototoxicity. Copyright (C) 2000 S. Karger AG, Basel.