Attack of cefotaxime by different radicals: Comparison of the effects

Free radicals are physiological products and can react to administrated drugs. Metabolic transformations by radical mechanisms are, therefore, possible. A fundamental study of radio-induced degradation of aqueous solutions of sodium cefotaxime, a third generation cephalosporin, was realized to describe these possible radical mechanisms. Different radicals produced by the radiolysis method (·OH, N3·, Br2·−, Tbut·, eaq− + ·OH, and eaq−+ Tbut· were successively used to induce the radical mechanisms and their effects were compared. All these radicals induce the formation of a same main radiolysis product identified as anticefotaxime. Radical mechanisms induced by N3, Tbut, and eaq- include chain reactions to explain the formation of anticefotaxime contrary to those induced by OH and Br2