What is "amphenicol"

n. (context medicine English) Any of a class of antibiotic related to chloramphenicol

Amphenicols are a class of antibiotics with a phenylpropanoid structure. They function by blocking the enzyme peptidyl transferase on the 50S ribosome subunit of bacteria.

Examples of amphenicols include chloramphenicol, thiamphenicol, azidamfenicol and florfenicol. The first-in-class compound was chloramphenicol, introduced in 1949. Chloramphenicol was initially discovered as a natural product, but all amphenicols are now made by chemical synthesis.