After absorption, prulifloxacin is metabolised by esterases to ulifloxacin, which inhibits the formation of superhelix, cell division and reproduction by interfering the DNA toposomerase.
..The diapause bioclock protein of Bombyx silkworm is count down clock which depends on esterase A4 (EA4), EA4 is the first confirmed time interval measuring enzyme.
The results of biochemical analysis indicated that the difference of the activity of carboxylesterase and esterase isozymes in the larval midguts were the main mechanism of this selective toxicity.