The mechanism of action of nitro-heterocyclic antimicrobial drugs. Primary target of 1-methyl-2-nitro-5-vinylimidazole is DNA.

The antimicrobial drug 1-methyl-2-nitro-5-vinylimidazole (MEV) preferentially blocked DNA synthesis, was mutagenic and induced coliphage lambda in Escherichia coli. The antibacterial effects of MEV are the consequences of repairable damage to DNA, as shown by hypersensitivity of recA and uvr strains to MEV and related drugs, stimulation by MEV of DNA turnover which was dependent on the product of the uvrA gene, and the presence of cross-links in DNA from MEV-treated bacteria.