A client is prescribed penicillin V orally for a strep throat. What is the mechanism of action of this medication? A. It inhibits protein synthesis. B. It lowers the pH of cellular contents. C. It causes mutations. D. It inhibits cell wall synthesis.
D
The correct answer is D. Penicillin V is an antibiotic that works by inhibiting the synthesis of bacterial cell walls. Specifically, it works by binding to and blocking the activity of enzymes called penicillin-binding proteins (PBPs) which are responsible for cross-linking the peptidoglycan molecules that make up the bacterial cell wall. By interfering with this process, penicillin V weakens the bacterial cell wall and eventually causes the bacteria to lyse and die.
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