Quinolones are primarily effective by

Quinolones are primarily effective by inhibiting DNA synthesis. They achieve this by targeting the bacterial enzyme DNA gyrase, which is crucial for the supercoiling and uncoiling of DNA during replication and transcription. By interfering with this enzyme, quinolones prevent DNA from being properly replicated and transcribed, leading to the death of the bacterial cell or the prevention of its growth. The ability to effectively halt DNA synthesis makes quinolones particularly potent against a variety of bacterial pathogens.

Other mechanisms, such as inhibiting protein synthesis or disrupting cell membrane integrity, are not the primary action of quinolones. These mechanisms are utilized by other classes of antibiotics, but they do not play a significant role in the action of quinolones. Similarly, inhibiting cell wall formation is primarily the method of action for other antibiotic classes, such as beta-lactams, and does not describe how quinolones function.