Safety and Efficacy Review of Doxycycline

Abstract

Doxycycline is a member of the tetracycline class of antibiotics and has been used clinically for more than 40 years. It is a well-tolerated drug that is bacteriostatic and acts via the inhibition of bacterial ribosomes. It is generally given at a dose of 100-mg daily or twice daily. It is well absorbed and has generally good tissue penetration. The serum half-life is 18-22 hours and dosage does not need to be adjusted in the presence of renal or hepatic impairment. Major side effects are gastro-intestinal and dermatological and it is generally contra-indicated in pregnancy or childhood because of concerns about discolouration of developing teeth and potential effects on growing bones. Drug interactions are not common although can occur with the concomitant use of methotrexate and the oral contraceptive pill, and its absorption can be reduced by the co-administration with some antacids and iron preparations. It has activity against many organisms, including Gram-positives, Gram-negatives and atypical bacteria. In addition, it appears to have some potentially clinically useful anti-inflammatory properties.

Pharmacotherapeutic Management of Gastrointestinal Bleeding in Patients with Continuous‐Flow Left Ventricular Assist Devices

“…Attention should be drawn to the doxycycline dose used in this analysis. To demonstrate inhibitory effects seen within the modeling, the authors used doxycycline concentrations of 5–20 mg/dl; however, standard dosing typically achieves plasma levels of 0.3–0.5 mg/dl . Recent data suggest that doyxycline used in standard doses of 100 mg twice/day did not alter vWF degradation in a small cohort of six patients with CF‐LVADs .…”

Effect of doxycycline concentrations in chicken tissues as a consequence of permanent exposure to enrofloxacin traces in drinking water

“…The antibiotic action is based on DNA gyrase, which is an essential bacterial enzyme that maintains the superhelical twists of the DNA (3,30,35). Doxycycline also exhibits strong activity against a broad range of bacteria; its action is based on the inhibition of protein biosynthesis in the bacterial cell (9,19). In poultry treatment, both of these medicines are generally administered in drinking water, and this administration route provides a relatively rapid therapeutic effect.…”

Doxycycline Ameliorates Schizophrenia-Like Behaviors in Experimental Models in Mice by Targeting Underlying Oxidative Stress

“…To this end, the second-generation tetracycline antibiotic drugs (e.g., minocycline, doxycycline) have recently been attracting much attention in neuropsychiatric preclinical researches due to their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory/immunomodulatory mechanisms of action [9]. Doxycycline is a long acting second-generation tetracycline antibiotic which is rapidly absorbed and penetrates well into the brain, with very low toxicity profile [10].…”

“…Globally, doxycycline has remained one of the most commonly used inexpensive broadspectrum antibiotics and is included in the list of Essential Medicine of the World Health Organization (WHO) [10]. Similar to minocycline, doxycycline possesses strong neuroprotective effect and this is closely attributed to its anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anti-apoptotic and neurotrophic properties [9] [11] [12].…”