Application
Sulfadoxine is a sulfonamide antibiotic used in combination with pyrimethamine for the treatment or prevention of malaria. It is also used to treat various infections in livestock. Sulfadoxine and pyrimethamine is indicated for the treatment of Plasmodium falciparum malaria in patients where chloroquine resistance is suspected1. It is used to study infections caused by Toxoplasma gondii2 and has been used to prevent infections after surgery during animal studies3.
Biochem/physiol Actions
Sulfadoxine is a sulfonamide antibacterial that inhibits dihydropteroate synthase (DHPS), an enzyme that transforms 4-aminobenzoic acid (PABA) in the synthesis of dihydropteroic acid. This enzyme is also a component of the folate metabolic pathway and is upstream of dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR).