What type of drug is Doxycycline?
Doxycycline is a type of drug known as a tetracycline antibacterial. Antibacterial means that the drug fights bacteria. The word “tetracycline” refers to the chemical structure of the drug. That is, drugs that are in the tetracycline class have four 6-membered rings that make up their basic structure. This makes sense when you consider that the word “tetra” in Latin means “four,” and the word “cycline” comes from the Greek word, “kyklos,” meaning “circle.” Put the two words together and you get “four circles (rings).” Some tetracyclines occur naturally, whereas others are part natural and part man-made. Doxyclyine is part natural and part man-made, which is why it is called a semisynthetic (part man-made) tetracycline. Specifically, doxycycline is made by changing the chemical makeup of a naturally occurring tetracycline known as oxytetracycline.
