title: Photodegradation paths of cefotaxime.
abstract: The degradation kinetics of cefotaxime sodium salt in aqueous solution, under UV light at 254 nm, was investigated by HPLC and antibiotic activity. This degradation is the result of two competitive processes, an isomerization and a photolysis. This study is mostly about the isomerization step. The measured quantum yields for the cefotaxime to its anti-isomer and anti-isomer to cefotaxime isomerizations are, respectively, 0.10 and 0.12. A photostationary state characterized by an anti:syn ratio of 1.2 is obtained after 30 min of irradiation. The competitive photolysis, which actually consists of at least two processes (one on the delta 3-cephem ring and the second on the methoxyimino group), leads to an intense yellowing of the solution corresponding to the destruction of the molecule. The comparative evolution of the absorption spectra, under irradiation at 254 nm, of cefotaxime, thiazoximic acid, and 7-aminocephalosporanic acid shows that it is the delta 3-cephem ring photolysis which gives the yellow color. The major conclusion of this work is to call attention to the photoisomerization step which leads efficiently to the inactive anti-isomer, without giving any visible notice of degradation. Such a process is to be expected in all antibiotics containing an alkoxyimino linkage on the C-7 substitution.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Chimie Physique, Ecole Nationale Supérieure de Chimie, Montpellier, France.
authors.forename: D A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Lerner
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Bonnefond
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Fabre
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Mandrou
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Simeon de Buochberg
mesh_terms: D001681:Biological Assay; D002439:Cefotaxime / Q000032:analysis* / Q000494:pharmacology; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000187:drug effects; D007700:Kinetics; D010777:Photochemistry; D010782:Photolysis; D013056:Spectrophotometry, Ultraviolet
chemical_list: D002439:Cefotaxime