Sulfonamide
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Image:Sulfonamide-group.png In chemistry, the sulfonamide functional group is -S(=O)2-NH2, a sulfone group connected to an amine group.
A sulfonamide (compound) is a compound that contains this group. The general formula is RSO2NH2, where R is some organic group. For example, "methanesulfonamide" is CH3SO2NH2. Any sulfonamide can be considered as derived from a sulfonic acid by replacing a hydroxyl group with an amine group.
In medicine, the term "sulfonamide" is sometimes used as a synonym for sulfa drug, a derivative or variation of sulfanilamide.
Mechanism of action: Sulfonamides are structural anologs and competitive antagonists of para-aminobenzoic acid (PABA). They inhibit normal bacterial utilization of PABA for the synthesis of folic acid, an important metabolite in DNA synthesis. The effects seen are usually bacteriostatic. Folic acid is not synthesized in humans, but is instead a dietary requirement. This allows for the selective toxicicty to bacterial cells(or any cell dependent on synthesizing folic acid) over human cells.
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