| clavulanic acid | <chemical> Clavulanic acid (c8h9o5n) and its salts and esters. The acid is a suicide inhibitor of bacterial beta-lactamase enzymes from streptomyces clavuligerus. Administered alone, it has only weak antibacterial activity against most organisms, but given in combination with beta-lactam antibiotics prevents antibiotic inactivation by microbial lactamase. Pharmacological action: antibiotics, lactam, enzyme inhibitors. Chemical name: 4-Oxa-1-azabicyclo(3.2.0)heptane-2-carboxylic acid, 3-(2-hydroxyethylidene)-7-oxo-, (2R-(2alpha,3Z,5alpha)) (12 Dec 1998) |
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| clavulanic acids | <chemical> Acids, salts, and derivatives of clavulanic acid (c8h9o5n). They consist of those beta-lactam compounds that differ from penicillin in having the sulfur of the thiazolidine ring replaced by an oxygen. They have limited antibacterial action, but block bacterial beta-lactamase irreversibly, so that similar antibiotics are not broken down by the bacterial enzymes and therefore can exert their antibacterial effects. Pharmacological action: antibiotics, lactam, enzyme inhibitors. (12 Dec 1998) |