Immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory properties of macrolides

Macrolides are a group of antibiotics whose activity is ascribable to the presence of the macrolide ring, a large macrocyclic lactone ring, to which one or more deoxy sugars, usually cladinose and desosamine, may be attached. The most commonly used macrolides have 14 (e.g. erythromycin, clarithromycin, roxithromycin) or 15 (e.g. azithromycin) atoms attached to their macrocyclic ring and therefore defined as 14or 15-membered ring macrolides [1]. Macrolides are used to treat infections caused by Grampositive bacteria or in case of Streptococcus pneumoniae and Haemophilus influenzae infections, such as respiratory tract and soft-tissue infections. They have also been shown to be effective against Legionella pneumophila, mycoplasma, mycobacteria, some rickettsias and chlamydia [11]. Macrolide antibiotics have good bioavailability by the oral route, superb tissue penetration, favorable side-effect profiles and prolonged tissue persistence. Macrolides act as antibacterials by reversibly binding to the P site on the 50S subunit of bacterial ribosomes. This action is mainly bacteriostatic, but it can also become bactericidal at high concentrations. Immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory properties of macrolides