How Do Quinolones Enter The Bacterial Cell

Fluoroquinolones must have the ability to enter the bacterial cell, beacause the target of fluoroquinolones is intracellular. Quinolones cross the bacterial outer membrane by two different ways: through specific porins (e.g., ciprofloxacin) or by diffusion through the phospholipid bilayer (e.g., nalidixic acid).The rate of diffusion of a quinolone is largely dependent on its level of hydrophobicity (Chapman and Georgopapadokou .,1988)
The concentration of quinolones inside the cell is regulated by the diffusion-mediated uptake of drugs and pump-mediated efflux (Strahilevitz et al., 2009).