Clavulanic Acid Avesel CAS 58001-44-8

Clavulanic Acid

Introduction

Clavulanic acid is used with beta-lactamase sensitive penicillins to protect them against the hydrolysis of their beta-lactam ring and so rendering them effective against beta-lactamase producing bacteria. Clavulanic acid was discovered in a microbiological screen of fermentation broths intended to identify compounds that protect benzylpenicillin against beta-lactamase-producing bacteria Reading and Cole (1997). Beta-Lactamases hydrolyze the critical four-membered ring of penicillins Baggaley et al (1997) and cephalosporins Marsh et al (1992), producing penicilloic acid derivatives and in the case of cephalosporins, analogous degradation products, rendering them powerless as antibacterials. Although clavulanic acid has only weak antibiotic properties, as potent beta-lactamase inhibitor, it enhances the activity of beta-lactam antibiotics against many resistant Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacterial infections that resist penicillin mono-therapy by beta-lactamase production Haginaka et al (1981). Clavulanic acid is then most often formulated in combination with antibiotics such as amoxycillin Brown et al (1976).