The role of the metal ion in the catalytic cycle of beta-lactamase II

Abstract

With beta-lactam antibiotics being the most widely used antibacterial agents in clinical use In the world today, mechanistic studies of these enzymes, called betalactamases, which are responsible for beta-lactam antibiotic resistance in pathogenic bacteria have become Increasingly Important. Mechanistic studies have enabled researchers to develop a suicide or mechanism-based inhibitor, known commercially as Augmentin, which inactivates beta-lactamase I, a class A enzyme. Currently, there are no known inhibitors of beta-lactamase II, a class B enzyme.