Cefotetan
Encyclopedia
Cefotetan is an injectable antibiotic
Antibiotic
An antibacterial is a compound or substance that kills or slows down the growth of bacteria.The term is often used synonymously with the term antibiotic; today, however, with increased knowledge of the causative agents of various infectious diseases, antibiotic has come to denote a broader range of...

 of the cephamycin
Cephamycin
Cephamycins are a group of beta-lactam antibiotics. They are very similar to cephalosporins, and the cephamycins are sometimes classified as cephalosporins.Like cephalosporins, cephamycins are based upon the cephem nucleus...

 type for prophylaxis and treatment of bacterial infections. It is often grouped together with second-generation cephalosporin
Cephalosporin
The cephalosporins are a class of β-lactam antibiotics originally derived from Acremonium, which was previously known as "Cephalosporium".Together with cephamycins they constitute a subgroup of β-lactam antibiotics called cephems.-Medical use:...

s and has a similar antibacterial spectrum, but with additional anti-anaerobe coverage.

Cefotetan was developed by Yamanouchi
Astellas Pharma
is a Japanese pharmaceutical company, formed on 1 April 2005 from the merger of and .Astellas' franchise areas are urology, immunology , dermatology, cardiology, and infectious disease...

. It is marketed outside Japan by AstraZeneca
AstraZeneca
AstraZeneca plc is a global pharmaceutical and biologics company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the world's seventh-largest pharmaceutical company measured by revenues and has operations in over 100 countries...

 with the brand names Apatef and Cefotan.

Adverse effects

The chemical structure of cefotetan, like that of several other cephalosporins, contains an N-methylthiotetrazole (NMTT or 1-MTT) side chain
Side chain
In organic chemistry and biochemistry, a side chain is a chemical group that is attached to a core part of the molecule called "main chain" or backbone. The placeholder R is often used as a generic placeholder for alkyl group side chains in chemical structure diagrams. To indicate other non-carbon...

. As the antibiotic is broken down in the body, it releases free NMTT, which can cause hypoprothrombinemia
Hypoprothrombinemia
Hypoprothrombinemia is a blood disorder in which a deficiency of prothrombin results in impaired blood clotting, leading to an increased physiological risk for bleeding, especially in the gastrointestinal system, cranial vault, and superficial integumentary system.-Causes:Hypoprothrombinemia can...

 (likely due to inhibition
Enzyme inhibitor
An enzyme inhibitor is a molecule that binds to enzymes and decreases their activity. Since blocking an enzyme's activity can kill a pathogen or correct a metabolic imbalance, many drugs are enzyme inhibitors. They are also used as herbicides and pesticides...

 of the enzyme
Enzyme
Enzymes are proteins that catalyze chemical reactions. In enzymatic reactions, the molecules at the beginning of the process, called substrates, are converted into different molecules, called products. Almost all chemical reactions in a biological cell need enzymes in order to occur at rates...

 vitamin K epoxide reductase
Vitamin K epoxide reductase
Vitamin K epoxide reductase is an enzyme that reduces vitamin K after it has been oxidised in the carboxylation of glutamic acid. Its C1 subunit is the target of anticoagulant warfarin.- See also :* Oxidoreductase...

) and a reaction with ethanol similar to that produced by disulfiram
Disulfiram
Disulfiram is a drug discovered in the 1920s and used to support the treatment of chronic alcoholism by producing an acute sensitivity to alcohol. Trade names for disulfiram in different countries are Antabuse and Antabus manufactured by Odyssey Pharmaceuticals...

 (Antabuse), due to inhibition of aldehyde dehydrogenase
Aldehyde dehydrogenase
Aldehyde dehydrogenases are a group of enzymes that catalyse the oxidation of aldehydes.- Function :Aldehyde dehydrogenase is a polymorphic enzyme responsible for the oxidation of aldehydes to carboxylic acids, which leave the liver and are metabolized by the body’s muscle and heart...

.

External links

  • Cefotan official web site run by AstraZeneca
    AstraZeneca
    AstraZeneca plc is a global pharmaceutical and biologics company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the world's seventh-largest pharmaceutical company measured by revenues and has operations in over 100 countries...

    US
  • Cefotetan entry in RxList
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