Neomycin sulfate salt is an aminoglycoside antibiotic obtained from Streptomyces fradie. It is composed of three separate compounds - neomycin A, neomycin B (framycetin), and neomycin C. Neomycin irreversibly binds to specific 30S-subunit proteins and this interferes with decoding site in the vicinity of nucleotide 1400 in 16S rRNA of 30S subunit. This region interacts with the wobble base in the anticodon of tRNA. This type of interaction interferes with initiation complex, causes misreading of mRNA and incorrect insertion of amino acids into the polypeptide. These events lead to non-functional or toxic peptides and breakdown of polysomes into non-functional monosomes. It is a broad spectrum antibiotic active against Gram-positive and Gram-negative organisms. It also prevents growth of protozoa, algae, and mammalian cells. In cell culture, Neomycin sulfate is used as an anti-microbial agent to prevent contamination.