Ampicillinisamemberoftheextendedspectrumβ-lactamfamilyandsimilarinstructuretopenicillin. Sulbactamisaβ-lactamaseinhibitorusedtoincreasepotencyofβ-lactamantibiotics.
Inaqueoussolution,ampicillinsodiumisfreelysoluble(50mg/mL).Ampicillintrihydrateisslightlysolubleinwater(10mg/mL)andfreelysolublein1NHCl(50mg/mL).Ampicillinanhydrousissparinglysolubleinwaterandfreelysolublein1NNH4OH(50mg/mL).Ampicillinsodiumiscommonlyusedtoselectforsuccessfullytransformedbacteria.Ampicillinanhydrous(powder)isthemoststableandpureformofampicillinTOKU-Eoffers.
CASNumber
117060-71-6
MolecularFormula
Ampicillin:C16H19N3O4S
Sulbactam:C8H11NO5S
MolecularWeight
Mixture
MechanismofAction
Likeallβ-lactams,ampicillininterfereswithPBP(penicillinbindingprotein)activityotherwiseinvolvedinthefinalphaseofpeptidoglycansynthesis.PBP’sareenzymeswhichcatalyzeapentaglycinecrosslinkbetweenalanineandlysineresidues.Withoutapentaglycinecrosslink,theintegrityofthecellwallisseverelycompromisedultimatelyleADIngtocelllysis.
TariffCode
2941.10.5000
Spectrum
AmpicillintargetsnonESBL(ExtendedSpectrumβ-lactamase)bacteriaincludingStaphylococcusandStreptococcusandmedicallyimportantentericpathogenssuchasShigellaandSalmonella.Interestingly,ampicillinhasbeenfoundtobeeffectiveagainstcertainβ-lactamsensitiveVREorvancomycinresistantEnterococcus;aglycopeptideantibioticresistant"superbug."
Form
Powder
Appearance
Whiteoralmostwhitecrystallinepowder
WaterContent(KarlFisher)
≤2.0%
pH
8.0-10.0
Assay
Ampicillin:≥563μg/mg
Sulbactam:≥280μg/mg
Impurities
Dichloromethane:≤0.06%
Acetone:≤0.5%
Ethanol:≤0.5%
Ethylacetate:≤0.5%
Endotoxin
<0.17 EU/mg