View source for Tetracycline

{{short description|Antibiotic used to treat a number of infections}}
{{About|the specific antibiotic|the family of antibiotics|Tetracycline antibiotics}}
{{drugbox
| Watchedfields      = changed
| verifiedrevid      = 470603713
| drug_name          = 
| image              = Tetracycline skeletal.svg

<!--Clinical data-->| pronounce          = {{IPAc-en|ˌ|t|ɛ|t|r|ə|ˈ|s|aɪ|k|l|iː|n}}
| tradename          = Sumycin, others
| Drugs.com          = {{drugs.com|monograph|tetracycline}}
| MedlinePlus        = a682098
| licence_US         = Tetracycline
| pregnancy_AU       = D
| pregnancy_US       = D
| legal_status       = Rx-only
| routes_of_administration = [[Oral administration|By mouth]]

<!--Pharmacokinetic data-->| bioavailability    = 80%
| metabolism         = Not metabolized
| elimination_half-life = 8–11 hours, 57–108 hours (kidney impairment)
| excretion          = Urine (>60%), feces

<!--Identifiers-->| CAS_number_Ref     = {{cascite|correct|??}}
| CAS_number         = 60-54-8
| CAS_supplemental   = <br/>{{CAS|64-75-5}} (hydrochloride) <!-- Also CAS verified -->
| ATC_prefix         = A01
| ATC_suffix         = AB13
| ATC_supplemental   = {{ATC|D06|AA04}} {{ATC|J01|AA07}} {{ATC|S01|AA09}} {{ATC|S02|AA08}} {{ATC|S03|AA02}} {{ATCvet|G01|AA90}} {{ATCvet|G51|AA02}} {{ATCvet|J51|AA07}}
| ChEBI_Ref          = {{ebicite|correct|EBI}}
| ChEBI              = 27902
| PubChem            = 54685734
| DrugBank_Ref       = {{drugbankcite|correct|drugbank}}
| DrugBank           = DB00759
| ChemSpiderID_Ref   = {{chemspidercite|correct|chemspider}}
| ChemSpiderID       = 10257122
| UNII_Ref           = {{fdacite|correct|FDA}}
| UNII               = F8VB5M810T
| KEGG_Ref           = {{keggcite|correct|kegg}}
| KEGG               = D00201
| ChEMBL_Ref         = {{ebicite|correct|EBI}}
| ChEMBL             = 1440
| PDB_ligand         = TAC

<!--Chemical data-->| C                  = 22
| H                  = 24
| N                  = 2
| O                  = 8
| smiles             = C[C@]1(c2cccc(c2C(=O)C3=C([C@]4([C@@H](C[C@@H]31)[C@@H](C(=C(C4=O)C(=O)N)O)N(C)C)O)O)O)O
| StdInChI_Ref       = {{stdinchicite|correct|chemspider}}
| StdInChI           = 1S/C22H24N2O8/c1-21(31)8-5-4-6-11(25)12(8)16(26)13-9(21)7-10-15(24(2)3)17(27)14(20(23)30)19(29)22(10,32)18(13)28/h4-6,9-10,15,25,27-28,31-32H,7H2,1-3H3,(H2,23,30)/t9-,10-,15-,21+,22-/m0/s1
| StdInChIKey_Ref    = {{stdinchicite|correct|chemspider}}
| StdInChIKey        = OFVLGDICTFRJMM-WESIUVDSSA-N
}}

<!-- Definition and medical uses -->
'''Tetracycline''', sold under the brand name '''Sumycin''' among others, is an oral [[antibiotic]] in the [[tetracyclines]] family of medications, used to treat a number of [[infections]],<ref name=AHFS2016/> including [[Acne vulgaris|acne]], [[cholera]], [[brucellosis]], [[plague (disease)|plague]], [[malaria]], and [[syphilis]].<ref name=AHFS2016/>

<!-- Side effects and mechanism -->
Common side effects include vomiting, [[diarrhea]], rash, and loss of appetite.<ref name=AHFS2016/> Other side effects include poor [[tooth]] development if used by children less than eight years of age, [[kidney problems]], and [[sunburn]]ing easily.<ref name=AHFS2016/> Use during [[pregnancy]] may harm the baby.<ref name=AHFS2016/> It works by inhibiting protein synthesis in bacteria.<ref name=AHFS2016>{{cite web|title=Tetracycline|url=https://www.drugs.com/monograph/tetracycline.html|publisher=The American Society of Health-System Pharmacists|access-date=8 December 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161228195613/https://www.drugs.com/monograph/tetracycline.html|archive-date=28 December 2016}}</ref>

<!-- Society and culture -->
Tetracycline was patented in 1953 and came into commercial use in 1978.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Fischer|first1=Janos|last2=Ganellin|first2=C. Robin|title=Analogue-based Drug Discovery|date=2006|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|isbn=9783527607495|page=489|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FjKfqkaKkAAC&pg=PA489|language=en|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161220084414/https://books.google.ca/books?id=FjKfqkaKkAAC&pg=PA489|archive-date=2016-12-20}}</ref> It is on the [[World Health Organization's List of Essential Medicines]].<ref name="WHO21st">{{cite book | vauthors = ((World Health Organization)) | title = World Health Organization model list of essential medicines: 21st list 2019 | year = 2019 | hdl = 10665/325771 | author-link = World Health Organization | publisher = World Health Organization | location = Geneva | id = WHO/MVP/EMP/IAU/2019.06. License: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO }}</ref> Tetracycline is available as a [[generic medication]].<ref name=AHFS2016/>  Tetracycline was originally made from bacteria of the ''[[Streptomyces]]'' type.<ref name=AHFS2016/>

==Medical uses==

=== Spectrum of activity ===
Tetracyclines have a broad spectrum of antibiotic action. Originally, they possessed some level of bacteriostatic activity against almost all medically relevant [[Aerobic bacteria|aerobic]] and [[Anaerobic bacteria|anaerobic]] bacterial genera, both [[Gram-positive bacteria|Gram-positive]] and [[Gram-negative bacteria|Gram-negative]], with a few exceptions, such as ''[[Pseudomonas aeruginosa]]'' and [[Proteus (bacterium)|''Proteus'' spp.]], which display intrinsic resistance. However, acquired (as opposed to inherent) resistance has proliferated in many [[pathogenic organisms]] and greatly eroded the formerly vast versatility of this group of antibiotics. Resistance amongst [[Staphylococcus|''Staphylococcus'' spp.]], [[Streptococcus|''Streptococcus'' spp.]], ''[[Neisseria gonorrhoeae]]'', anaerobes, members of the [[Enterobacteriaceae]], and several other previously sensitive organisms is now quite common. Tetracyclines remain especially useful in the management of infections by certain obligately intracellular bacterial pathogens such as ''[[Chlamydia (genus)|Chlamydia]]'', ''[[Mycoplasma]]'', and ''[[Rickettsia]]''. They are also of value in [[Spirochete|spirochaetal]] infections, such as [[syphilis]], [[leptospirosis]], and [[Lyme disease]]. Certain rare or exotic infections, including [[anthrax]], [[Plague (disease)|plague]], and [[brucellosis]], are also susceptible to tetracyclines. Tetracycline tablets were used in the plague outbreak in India in 1994.<ref>Lippincott's Illustrated Reviews: Pharmacology, 4th ed. Harvery RA, Champe, PC. Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins, 2009</ref>  Tetracycline is first-line therapy for [[Rocky Mountain spotted fever]] (''Rickettsia''), [[Lyme disease]] (''B. burgdorferi''), [[Q fever]] (''Coxiella''), [[psittacosis]], ''[[Mycoplasma pneumoniae]]'', and nasal carriage of [[Neisseria meningitidis|meningococci]].

It is also one of a group of antibiotics which together may be used to treat [[Peptic ulcer#H. pylori 2|peptic ulcers]] caused by bacterial infections. The mechanism of action for the antibacterial effect of tetracyclines relies on inhibiting protein transcription in bacteria, thereby damaging the ability of microbes to grow and repair; however, protein transcription is also disrupted in eukaryotic [[mitochondria]] leading to effects that may [[confound]] experimental results.<ref name="pmid25772356">{{cite journal |vauthors=Moullan N, Mouchiroud L, Wang X, Ryu D, Williams EG, Mottis A, Jovaisaite V, Frochaux MV, Quiros PM, Deplancke B, Houtkooper RH, Auwerx J|title=Tetracyclines Disturb Mitochondrial Function across Eukaryotic Models: A Call for Caution in Biomedical Research. |journal=Cell Reports |volume=10 |issue=10 |pages=1681–91 |date=2015|pmid=25772356|pmc=4565776 |doi=10.1016/j.celrep.2015.02.034}}</ref><ref name="pmid26475870">{{cite journal |vauthors=Chatzispyrou IA, Held NM, Mouchiroud L, Auwerx J, Houtkooper RH |title=Tetracycline antibiotics impair mitochondrial function and its experimental use confounds research. |journal=Cancer Research |volume= 75|issue=21 |pages=4446–9|date=2015|pmid=26475870|pmc=4631686 |doi=10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-15-1626}}</ref>

The following list presents [[Minimum inhibitory concentration|MIC]] susceptibility data for some medically significant microorganisms:
* ''[[Escherichia coli]]:'' 1 {{abbr|μg|microgram}}/{{abbr|mL|mililiter}} to >128 μg/mL
* ''[[Shigella]]'' {{abbr|spp.|subspecies}}: 1 μg/mL to 128 μg/mL<ref>http://www.toku-e.com/Assets/MIC/Tetracycline%20hydrochloride.pdf{{full|date=August 2021}}</ref>

===Anti-eukaryote use===
The tetracyclines also have activity against certain [[Eukaryota|eukaryotic]] parasites, including those responsible for diseases such as [[Amoebic dysentery|dysentery]] caused by an [[amoeba]], [[malaria]] (a [[plasmodium]]), and [[balantidiasis]] (a [[ciliate]]).

===Use as a biomarker ===
[[File:Tetracycline-HCl substance photo.jpg|thumb|Tetracycline hydrochloride is available as yellow crystalline powder.]]
Since tetracycline is absorbed into bone, it is used as a marker of bone growth for [[biopsies]] in humans. Tetracycline labeling is used to determine the amount of bone growth within a certain period of time, usually a period around 21 days. Tetracycline is incorporated into mineralizing bone and can be detected by its [[fluorescence]].<ref name=mayton>Mayton CA. [http://www.histosearch.com/histonet/Dec02/TetracyclinelabelingofbonA.html Tetracycline labeling of bone] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070312193518/http://www.histosearch.com/histonet/Dec02/TetracyclinelabelingofbonA.html |date=2007-03-12 }}</ref> In "double tetracycline labeling", a second dose is given 11–14 days after the first dose, and the amount of bone formed during that interval can be calculated by measuring the distance between the two fluorescent labels.<ref>[http://pathology2.jhu.edu/bonelab/4cycline.htm The Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions. > Tetracycline Labeling] {{webarchive|url=https://archive.is/20121215013608/http://pathology2.jhu.edu/bonelab/4cycline.htm |date=2012-12-15 }} Last updated January 8, 2001.</ref>

Tetracycline is also used as a biomarker in [[wildlife]] to detect consumption of medicine- or [[vaccine]]-containing baits.<ref>{{cite journal| vauthors = Olson CA, Mitchell KD, Werner PA| title = Bait ingestion by free-ranging raccoons and nontarget species in an oral rabies vaccine field trial in Florida| journal = [[J. Wildl. Dis.]]| volume = 36| issue = 4| pages = 734–43| date = October 2000| pmid = 11085436| url = http://www.jwildlifedis.org/cgi/reprint/36/4/734| doi = 10.7589/0090-3558-36.4.734| s2cid = 35102508| url-status = dead| archive-url = https://archive.is/20130415041932/http://www.jwildlifedis.org/cgi/reprint/36/4/734| archive-date = 2013-04-15}}</ref>

== Side effects ==
{{See also|Tooth bleaching}}
Use of [[tetracycline antibiotics]] can:<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://medlineplus.gov/druginfo/meds/a682098.html|title=Tetracycline: MedlinePlus Drug Information|website=medlineplus.gov|language=en|access-date=2017-05-19|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170510164238/https://medlineplus.gov/druginfo/meds/a682098.html|archive-date=2017-05-10}}</ref>
* Discolor permanent teeth (yellow-gray-brown), from prenatal period through childhood and adulthood. Children receiving long- or short-term therapy with a tetracycline or glycylcycline may develop permanent brown discoloration of the teeth. 
* Be inactivated by calcium [[ion]]s, so are not to be taken with [[milk]], [[yogurt]], and other [[dairy product|dairy]] products
* Be inactivated by [[aluminium]], [[iron]], and [[zinc]] ions, not to be taken at the same time as [[indigestion]] remedies (some common antacids and over-the-counter heartburn medicines)
* Cause [[skin]] [[photosensitivity]], so exposure to the [[sun]] or intense [[light]] is not recommended
* Cause drug-induced [[Lupus erythematosus|lupus]], and [[hepatitis]]
* Cause microvesicular [[fatty liver]]
* Cause [[tinnitus]]<ref>{{Cite book|title=Antibiotics Manual : A Guide to Commonly Used Antimicrobials|last1=Schlossberg|first1=David L.|last2=Samuel|first2=Rafik|publisher=John Wiley & Sons, Inc.|year=2017|pages=367|via=ProQuest Ebook Central}}</ref>
* Interfere with [[methotrexate]] by displacing it from the various protein-binding sites
* Cause breathing complications, as well as [[anaphylactic shock]], in some individuals
* Affect bone growth of the [[fetus]], so should be avoided during [[pregnancy]]
* [[Fanconi syndrome]] may result from ingesting expired tetracyclines.

Caution should be exercised in long-term use when breastfeeding. Short-term use is safe; bioavailability in milk is low to nil.<ref>Riordan, Jan."Breastfeeding & Human Lactation", Jones & Bartlett,2010 p.179</ref> According to the U.S. [[Food and Drug Administration]] (FDA),  cases of [[Stevens–Johnson syndrome]], [[toxic epidermal necrolysis]], and [[erythema multiforme]] associated with [[doxycycline]] use have been reported, but a causative role has not been established.<ref name=AERSlist>[https://www.fda.gov/Drugs/GuidanceComplianceRegulatoryInformation/Surveillance/AdverseDrugEffects/ucm223734.htm FDA Adverse Events Reporting System] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110117121827/https://www.fda.gov/Drugs/GuidanceComplianceRegulatoryInformation/Surveillance/AdverseDrugEffects/ucm223734.htm |date=2011-01-17 }} Retrieved on January 14, 2011</ref>

==Pharmacology==

===Mechanism of action===
Tetracycline inhibits protein synthesis by blocking the attachment of charged [[aminoacyl-tRNA]] at the [[Ribosome|P site]] peptide chain. Tetracycline blocks the P-site so that a hydrogen bond is not formed between the amino acids. Tetracycline binds to the 30S and 50S subunit of microbial ribosomes.<ref name=AHFS2016/> Thus, it prevents the formation of a peptide chain.<ref>{{cite web |last=Mehta |first=Akul |url=http://pharmaxchange.info/press/2011/05/mechanism-of-action-of-tetracyclines/ |title=Mechanism of Action of Tetracyclines |publisher=Pharmaxchange.info |date=2011-05-27 |access-date=2012-06-07 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120605235017/http://pharmaxchange.info/press/2011/05/mechanism-of-action-of-tetracyclines/ |archive-date=2012-06-05 }}</ref> The action is usually not inhibitory and irreversible even with the withdrawal of the drug. [[Mammal]]ian cells are less vulnerable to the effect of tetracyclines, despite the fact that tetracycline binds to the small ribosomal subunit of both [[prokaryotes]] and [[eukaryotes]] (30S and 40S, respectively). This is because bacteria actively pump tetracycline in, even against a concentration gradient, whereas mammalian cells are simply not affected by the mechanisms of tetracycline within the cytoplasm. This accounts for the relatively small off-site effect of tetracycline on human cells.<ref>Kenneth Todar, Antimicrobial Agents in the Treatment of Infectious Disease. Online Textbook of Bacteriology. 2012. {{cite web |url=http://textbookofbacteriology.net/antimicrobial_4.html |title=Antimicrobial Agents in the Treatment of Infectious Disease |access-date=2013-08-27 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131008103423/http://textbookofbacteriology.net/antimicrobial_4.html |archive-date=2013-10-08 }}</ref>

===Mechanisms of resistance===
Bacteria usually acquire resistance to tetracycline from [[horizontal gene transfer|horizontal transfer]] of a [[gene]] that either encodes an [[efflux pump]] or a ribosomal protection protein. Efflux pumps actively eject tetracycline from the cell, preventing the buildup of an inhibitory concentration of tetracycline in the [[cytoplasm]].<ref>{{cite journal |author=Chopra I, Roberts M |title=Tetracycline Antibiotics: Mode of Action, Applications, Molecular Biology, and Epidemiology of Bacterial Resistance |journal=Microbiol. Mol. Biol. Rev. |volume=65 |issue= 2|pages=232–260 |date=June 2001 |pmid=11381101 |doi=10.1128/MMBR.65.2.232-260.2001 |pmc=99026|last2=Roberts }}</ref>  Ribosomal protection proteins interact with the ribosome and dislodge tetracycline from the ribosome, allowing for translation to continue.<ref>{{cite journal |vauthors=Connell SR, Tracz DM, Nierhaus KH, Taylor DE|title=Ribosomal Protection Proteins and Their Mechanism of Tetracycline Resistance |journal=Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. |volume=47 |issue=12 |pages=3675–3681 |date=December 2003 |pmid=14638464 |doi=10.1128/AAC.47.12.3675-3681.2003 |pmc=296194}}</ref>

== History ==
The tetracyclines, a large family of antibiotics, were discovered by [[Benjamin Minge Duggar]] in 1948 as natural products,  and first prescribed in 1948.<ref>Klajn, Rafal, [http://www.chm.bris.ac.uk/motm/tetracycline/tetracycline.htm Chemistry and chemical biology of tetracyclines] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070617003719/http://www.chm.bris.ac.uk/motm/tetracycline/tetracycline.htm |date=2007-06-17 }}, retrieved 20 June 2007.{{better source needed|date=March 2017}}</ref> Benjamin Duggar, working under [[Yellapragada Subbarow]] at [[American Cyanamid|Lederle Laboratories]], discovered the first tetracycline antibiotic, [[chlortetracycline]] (Aureomycin),  in 1945.<ref>{{cite journal | author = Jukes, Thomas H. | date = 1985 | title = Some Historical Notes on Chlortetracycline | journal = Reviews of Infectious Diseases | volume = 7 | issue = 5; Sep.–Oct | pages = 702–707 | doi =  10.1093/clinids/7.5.702| pmid = 3903946 | jstor = 4453725 }}</ref>

In 1950, [[Harvard University]] professor [[Robert Burns Woodward|R.B. Woodward]], in collaboration with a group at [[Pfizer]] led by Francis A. Hochstein, determined the chemical structure of the related substance, [[oxytetracycline]] (Terramycin);<ref>{{cite journal| last1 = Hochstein | first1 = F. A. | last2 = Stephens | first2 = C. R. | last3 = Conover | first3 = L. H. | last4 = Regna | first4 = P. P. | last5 = Pasternack | first5 = R. | last6 = Gordon | first6 = P. N. | last7 = Pilgrim | first7 = F. J. | last8 = Brunings | first8 = K. J. | last9 = Woodward | first9 = R. B. | title = The structure of terramycin | journal = [[Journal of the American Chemical Society]] | volume = 75 | issue = 22 | pages = 5455–75 | date=November 1953 | doi = 10.1021/ja01118a001 }}{{primary source inline|date=March 2017}}</ref> the patent protection for its fermentation and production was also first issued in that year.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://patents.google.com/patent/US2516080A/en|title = Terramycin and its production}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal | author = TSNL Staff | date = August 9, 1952 | title = Coronagraph Mounts Done | journal = The Science News-Letter | volume = 62 | issue = 6 | pages = 83 | doi = 10.2307/3931295 | jstor = 3931295 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal | author = WSJ Staff | date = July 28, 1952 | title = Scientists Discover Terramycin's Secret: Its Complex Structure | journal = The Wall Street Journal | url = https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/djreprints/doc/132022200.html?FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:AI&type=historic&date=Jul+28%2C+1952&author=By+a+WALL+STREET+JOURNAL+Staff+Reporter&pub=Wall+Street+Journal++%281923+-+Current+file%29&edition=&startpage=5&desc=Scientists+Discover+Terramycin%27s+Secret%3A+Its+Complex+Structure | access-date = March 13, 2017 |url-access=subscription | quote = [Quote:] Laboratory Work May Lead to Manufacture of Non-Toxic Antibiotic Drugs | url-status = live | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170314064110/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/djreprints/doc/132022200.html?FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:AI&type=historic&date=Jul+28%2C+1952&author=By+a+WALL+STREET+JOURNAL+Staff+Reporter&pub=Wall+Street+Journal++%281923+-+Current+file%29&edition=&startpage=5&desc=Scientists+Discover+Terramycin%27s+Secret%3A+Its+Complex+Structure | archive-date = March 14, 2017 }}</ref> Pfizer was of the view that it deserved the right to a patent on tetracycline and filed its application in October 1952. Cyanamid filed its own patent application for similar rights in March 1953, while Heyden Chemicals filed an application in September 1953, to obtain a patent on tetracycline and its fermentation process.<ref>{{cite patent| country = US| number = 2734018 | status = patent | title = Process for the Preparation of Tetracycline and Chlortetracycline | gdate = 1956-02-07 | fdate = 1953-0928 | invent1 = Minieri, Pasquale Paul | invent2 = Sokol, Herman | invent3 = Firman, Melvin C. | assign1 = American Cyanamid Company}}</ref>{{primary source inline|date=March 2017}}

===Evidence in antiquity===
[[Nubian people|Nubian]] mummies studied in the 1990s were found to contain significant levels of tetracycline; the beer brewed at the time was conjectured to have been the source.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Armelagos |first1=George  |date=2000 |title=Take Two Beers and Call Me in 1,600 Years: Use of Tetracycline by Nubians and Ancient Egyptians |journal = Natural History |volume=109 |issue=4 |pages=50–53 }}</ref>

==Society and culture==

===Price===
According to data from EvaluatePharma and published in the ''[[Boston Globe]]'', in the USA the price of tetracycline rose from $0.06 per 250-[[Milligram|mg]] pill in 2013 to $4.06 a pill in 2015.<ref name="bostonglobe_2015_11">{{cite web | url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2015/11/06/generic-drug-price-increases-alarm-insurers-providers-and-consumers/H3iA9CSxAUylnCdGjLNKVN/story.html?event=event25 | title=As competition wanes, prices for generics skyrocket | work=Boston Globe | date=6 November 2015 | access-date=18 November 2015 | author=McCluskey, Priyanka Dayal | url-status=live | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151119073901/http://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2015/11/06/generic-drug-price-increases-alarm-insurers-providers-and-consumers/H3iA9CSxAUylnCdGjLNKVN/story.html?event=event25 | archive-date=19 November 2015 }}</ref> The ''Globe'' described the "big price hikes of some generic drugs" as a "relatively new phenomenon" which has left most pharmacists "grappling" with large upswings" in the "costs of generics, with 'overnight' price changes sometimes exceeding 1,000%."<ref name="bostonglobe_2015_11" />

===Names===
It is marketed under the brand names Sumycin, Tetracyn, and Panmycin, among others. Actisite is a thread-like fiber formulation used in dental applications.

It is also used to produce several semisynthetic derivatives, which together are known as the [[tetracycline antibiotics]]. The term "tetracycline" is also used to denote the four-ring system of this compound; "tetracyclines" are related substances that contain the same four-ring system.

===Media===
Due to the drug's association with fighting infections, it serves as the main "commodity" in the science fiction series [[Aftermath (2016 TV series)|Aftermath]], with the search for tetracycline becoming a major preoccupation in later episodes.<ref>{{cite web |title=Aftermath Episode Recap |url=https://www.syfy.com/aftermath/episodes/season/2016/episode/9/the-barbarous-king |website=SyFy Channel |access-date=15 April 2020}}</ref>

==Research==
===Genetic engineering ===
In [[genetic engineering]], tetracycline is used in [[Tetracycline-controlled transcriptional activation|transcriptional activation]]. It has been used as an engineered "control switch" in [[chronic myelogenous leukemia]] models in mice. Engineers were able to develop a retrovirus that induced a particular type of leukemia in mice, and could then "switch" the cancer on and off through tetracycline administration. This could be used to grow the cancer in mice and then halt it at a particular stage to allow for further experimentation or study.<ref>{{cite journal|author=A Dugray, JF Geay, A Foudi, ML Bonnet, W Vainchenker, F Wendling, F Louache & AG Turhan |title=Rapid generation of a tetracycline-inducible BCR-ABL defective retrovirus using a single autoregulatory retroviral cassette |journal=Leukemia |year=2001 |volume=15 |issue=10 |pages=1658–1662 |doi=10.1038/sj.leu.2402225 |pmid=11587226 |s2cid=40155100 |doi-access=free }}</ref>

A technique being developed for the control of the [[mosquito]] species ''[[Aedes aegypti]]'' (the infection [[Vector (epidemiology)|vector]] for [[yellow fever]], [[dengue fever]], [[Zika fever]], and several other diseases) uses a strain that is [[genetically modified]] to require tetracycline to develop beyond the larval stage. Modified males raised in a laboratory develop normally as they are supplied with this chemical and can be released into the wild. Their subsequent offspring inherit this trait, but find no tetracycline in their environments, so never develop into adults.<ref>{{cite news| author= Conal Urquhart| title= Can GM mosquitoes rid the world of a major killer?| newspaper= The Observer| date= 15 July 2012| url= https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2012/jul/15/gm-mosquitoes-dengue-fever-feature| access-date= 2012-07-15| url-status= live| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20131205105805/http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2012/jul/15/gm-mosquitoes-dengue-fever-feature| archive-date= 5 December 2013}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
* {{cite web | url = https://druginfo.nlm.nih.gov/drugportal/name/tetracycline | publisher = U.S. National Library of Medicine | work = Drug Information Portal | title = Tetracycline }}

{{Stomatological preparations}}
{{Antibiotics and chemotherapeutics for dermatological use}}
{{Acne agents}}
{{TetracyclineAntiBiotics}}
{{Otologicals}}
{{Xenobiotic-sensing receptor modulators}}

{{portal bar|Medicine}}

[[Category:1948 introductions]]
[[Category:Anti-acne preparations]]
[[Category:Biomarkers]]
[[Category:Cancer research]]
[[Category:Carboxamides]]
[[Category:Hepatotoxins]]
[[Category:Otologicals]]
[[Category:Tetracycline antibiotics]]
[[Category:Wikipedia medicine articles ready to translate]]
[[Category:World Health Organization essential medicines]]