Azithromycin

Category: pharmacological

Aliases: Zithromax, Z-pak

Pharmacological Mechanism

Azalide macrolide — 50S ribosomal inhibitor; expanded gram-negative + atypical coverage vs erythromycin. Long tissue half-life supports 5-day dosing. Modest CYP3A4 inhibition (less than erythromycin/clarithromycin). QT prolongation signal at high doses.

Half-Life (t½)

PO: 41h, IV: 41h

Dosing Guidelines

• PO: Typical 500 mg (Range: 250–500 mg)

Target Organ Systems

• digestive

Pathways It Modulates

• Bacterial ribosome (inhibitor) — 50S (23S rRNA)
• Cellular senescence / SASP / senolytics (inhibitor) — modest senolytic + anti-inflammatory; macrolide off-target

Chemical Identifiers

• PubChem CID: 447043
• Formula: C38H72N2O12
• Molecular weight: 748.98 g/mol
• InChIKey: MQTOSJVFKKJCRP-BICOPXKESA-N
• SMILES: CC[C@@H]1[C@@]([C@@H]([C@H](N(C[C@@H](C[C@@]([C@@H]([C@H]([C@@H]([C@H](C(=O)O1)C)O[C@H]2C[C@@]([C@H]([C@@H](O2)C)O)(C)OC)C)O[C@H]3[C@@H]([C@H](C[C@H](O3)C)N(C)C)O)(C)O)C)C)C)O)(C)O

References

• PMID 8913468