An antibacterial and inhibitor of formylation. Dihydrofolate reductase inhibitor with selectivity for the prokaryote enzyme.Trimethoprim is an antibiotic involved in the treatment of urinary tract infections, middle ear infections and traveler’s diarrhea. It is associated with sulfamethoxazole and interferes with the cellular metabolism of folic acid in the bacterial cell by blocking the biosynthesis of nucleotides. Furthermore, It is also used to treat and prevent Pneumocystis jiroveci pneumonia.
This Thermo Scientific Chemicals brand product was originally part of the Alfa Aesar product portfolio. Some documentation and label information may refer to the legacy brand. The original Alfa Aesar product / item code or SKU reference has not changed as a part of the brand transition to Thermo Scientific Chemicals.
General Description
• Trimethoprim is a synthetic pyrimidine analog that binds dihydrofolate-reductase and inhibits the synthesis of folic acid; when paired with sulfamethoxazole, its activity is enhanced
• Trimethoprim has antibacterial and antiprotozoal properties
Applications
• Trimethoprim inhibits the conversion of para-aminobenzoic acid (PABA) to folic acid near the end of the synthesis pathway and can be used to study related effects
• Trimethoprim has been radiolabeled and used to trace routes of infection, and it also has been used experimentally as a fluorescent labeler to quantify dihydrofolate-reductase expression