Levofloxacin

Category: pharmacological

Aliases: Levaquin

Pharmacological Mechanism

Respiratory fluoroquinolone — S-enantiomer of ofloxacin. Inhibits bacterial DNA gyrase + topoisomerase IV. Better gram-positive (S. pneumoniae) coverage than ciprofloxacin. Same fluoroquinolone class warnings: tendinopathy, neuropathy, QT prolongation, aortopathy.

Half-Life (t½)

PO: 7h, IV: 7h

Dosing Guidelines

• PO: Typical 500 mg (Range: 250–750 mg)

Target Organ Systems

• musculoskeletal

Pathways It Modulates

• Bacterial DNA replication + folate synthesis (inhibitor) — DNA gyrase + topoisomerase IV

Chemical Identifiers

• PubChem CID: 149096
• Formula: C18H20FN3O4
• Molecular weight: 361.37 g/mol
• InChIKey: GSDSWSVVBLHKDQ-JTQLQIEISA-N
• SMILES: C[C@H]1COC2=C3N1C=C(C(=O)C3=CC(=C2N4CCN(CC4)C)F)C(=O)O

References

• PMID 22404324