Discovered as natural products from actinomycetes soil bacteria, the tetracyclines were first reported in the scientific literature in 1948. They were noted for their broad spectrum antibacterial activity and were commercialized with clinical success beginning in the late 1940s to the early 1950s. By catalytic hydrogenation of Aureomycin, using palladium metal and hydrogen, the C7 deschloro derivative was synthesized, producing a compound of higher potency, a better solubility profile, and favorable pharmacological activity; it was subsequently named tetracycline. Tetracyclines are primarily bacteriostatic and exert their antimicrobial effect by the inhibition of protein synthesis by binding to the 30S ribosomal subunit. Tetracycline is active against a broad range of gram-negative and gram-positive organisms. Tetracycline is indicated in the treatment of infections caused by susceptible strains. To reduce the development of drug-resistant bacteria and maintain the effectiveness of tetracycline hydrochloride and other antibacterial drugs, tetracycline hydrochloride should be used only to treat or prevent infections that are proven or strongly suspected to be caused by bacteria.

Lymecycline is a tetracycline broad-spectrum antibiotic marketed by the pharmaceutical company Galderma. It is approximately 5,000 times more soluble than tetracycline base and is unique amongst tetracyclines in that it is absorbed by an active transport process across the intestinal wall, making use of the same fast and efficient mechanism by which carbohydrates are absorbed. Lymecycline's side effects can include rash, headache, diarrhoea, ulcerative colitis, nausea, vomiting, dermatitis, dysphasia, inflammation of the liver, hypersensitive reactions, and visual disturbances. When taken for a long period of time, it can cause reflux oesophagitis.