What therapeutic effect do fluoroquinolones have on bacteria?

Fluoroquinolones are a class of antibiotics that primarily exert their therapeutic effect by interfering with bacterial DNA replication. They achieve this by inhibiting key enzymes, particularly DNA gyrase and topoisomerase IV, which are essential for the unwinding and supercoiling of DNA during replication. By targeting these enzymes, fluoroquinolones effectively prevent bacterial cell division, leading to cell death.

This mechanism is crucial because the inability to replicate DNA means that bacteria cannot undergo cell division, which is vital for their growth and proliferation. Consequently, fluoroquinolones are effective in treating a variety of bacterial infections by stopping the growth and multiplication of these organisms.

In contrast, the other options focus on different mechanisms that are not the primary action of fluoroquinolones. For instance, while some antibiotics do block protein synthesis (protein expression), fluoroquinolones do not directly interfere with the ribosomes that produce proteins. Additionally, reducing nutrient absorption is not a function of fluoroquinolones; rather, it relates to how certain antimicrobials might affect a host's nutrient uptake or the nutritional environment of bacteria. Disrupting DNA signaling might imply different modes of action not directly associated with the targeted mechanisms of fluoro