title: Hydrolysis of 2'-esters of erythromycin.
abstract: Hydrolysis rates were determined for 2'-acetyl erythromycin, three of its homologues (2'-propionyl, 2'-butyryl and 2'-valeryl) and 2'-ethylsuccinyl erythromycin in buffer solution (pH 7.0, 37 degrees C) and in human plasma (37 degrees C) at concentrations of 5 and 100 mg/l. Ester concentrations were measured by fast atom bombardment mass spectrometry. Hydrolysis in buffer followed pseudo first-order kinetics. The half-lives of the esters ranged from 24.3 to 89.5 min (2'-ethyl-succinyl less than 2'-acetyl less than 2'-propionyl less than 2'-valeryl less than 2'-butyryl). Hydrolysis in plasma followed more complex kinetics. The half-lives were generally longer than in buffer and dependent on the initial ester concentration. Apparent first-order half-lives ranged from 35.5 to 492 min (2'-ethylsuccinyl less than 2'-acetyl less than 2'-propionyl less than 2'-butyryl less than 2'-valeryl). In case of homologous esters, the stabilizing effect of plasma and concentration dependence varied with lipophilicity. In buffer solution the hydrolysis half-life of 2'-acetyl erythromycin was dependent on the concentration of alpha 1-acid glycoprotein. Of the homologous esters, 2'-acetyl erythromycin was hydrolysed most rapidly, but it was hydrolysed more slowly than 2'-ethylsuccinyl erythromycin.
authors.affiliation: Research Center, Orion Pharmaceutica, Espoo, Finland.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Taskinen
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ottoila
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002021:Buffers; D004917:Erythromycin / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000097:blood; D004952:Esters; D006801:Humans; D006868:Hydrolysis; D013058:Mass Spectrometry; D009961:Orosomucoid
chemical_list: D002021:Buffers; D004952:Esters; D009961:Orosomucoid; D004917:Erythromycin