NCIt definition : The acetate salt form of mafenide, a synthetic sulfonamide analog of para-aminobenzoic
acid (PABA) with topical anti-infective activity. Mafenide acetate competes with PABA
for the bacterial enzyme dihydropteroate synthase, thereby preventing the incorporation
of PABA into dihydrofolic acid, thereby interferes with normal folic acid metabolism.
As a result, de novo synthesis of pyrimidines, which requires folate metabolites,
is impeded and subsequently DNA synthesis is affected. Mafenide acetate is bacteriostatic
against many gram-negative and gram-positive organisms, including Pseudomonas aeruginosa
and certain strains of anaerobes.;