General Description

• Sulfanilamide is an organic sulfur compound with antibacterial properties that are structurally similar to the p-aminobenzoic acid (PABA)
• It also has a competitive inhibitory capacity against dihydropteroate synthetases blocking the synthesis of folic acid
• Sulfanilamide competes with PABA for the bacterial enzyme dihydropteroate synthase preventing, the incorporation of PABA into dihydrofolic acid, an immediate precursor of folic acid. This culminates in the inhibition of the bacterial folic acid synthesis and also the de novo synthesis of purines and pyrimidines, resulting in cell growth arrest and cell death.

Applications

• This compound shows antibacterial activity against different species, including gram-positive, gram-negative, and Chlamydia
• In chemical reactions, this compound can act as an intermediate for the preparation of 2,6-disubstituted anilines by electrophilic substitution
• Sulfanilamide shows inhibitory activity against the enzyme, carbonic anhydrase.