Erythromycin glucoheptonate

Chemical Name Erythromycin glucoheptonic acid salt Common Name —... 

Tyrosine Cysteine-homocysteine disulfide 3-Methoxytyrosine Erythromycin glucoheptonate... 

Synonym. Erythromycin Glucoheptonate Proprietary Names. Erycinum Ilotycin Gluceptate. 

A solution of 10 grams of d-glucoheptonic acid lactone in 50 ml of distilled water is warmed on a steam bath for about 2 hours to hydrolyze the lactone to the acid. The mixture is cooled and 100 ml of 95% ethanol are added. To the solution of glucoheptonic acid are added about 37 grams of erythromycin and the volume of the reaction mixture is brought to 200 ml by the addition of 95% ethanol. The reaction mixture is stirred for about 2 hours and is filtered through a porcelain filter candle of porosity 02. To provide a steriie product, aseptic technique is used throughout the remainder of the procedure. 

To the fiitered solution are added slowly and with stirring about 1,200 ml of anhydrous ether, to cause precipitation of erythromycin d-glucoheptonate and to keep In solution any excess of unreacted erythromycin. The precipitated erythromycin salt is removed by filtration through a sintered glass funnel, is washed with anhydrous ether and is dried in vacuo. Erythromycin d-glucoheptonate melts over a range of about 95° to 140°C. 

Development of bacterial resistance, with associated cross-resistance to lin-comycins, may occasionally limit the clinical use of the macrolides. The esters formed by these antibiotics are clinically important because they are more readily absorbed from the intestinal tract, but are possibly more toxic. Erythromycin is commonly administered orally as a base, stearate, or as an estolate, but it can also be administered intravenously as a lactobionate or glucoheptonate or intramuscularly as an ethylsuccinate, although such administration is rare, because the injec-... 

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