Sulbactam is a molecule which is given in combination
with beta-lactam antibiotics to inhibit beta-lactamase, an enzyme produced by bacteria
that destroys the antibiotics.
Fig: Sulbactam
Mechanism:
Sulbactam is an irreversible inhibitor
of beta-lactamase; it binds the enzyme and does not allow it to interact with the
antibiotic.
Uses:
Sulbactam is able to inhibit the
most common forms of beta-lactamase but is not able to interact with the ampC cephalosporinase.
Thus, it confers little protection against bacteria such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa,
Citrobacter, Enterobacter, and Serratia, which often express this
gene.
In the United States, sulbactam
is combined to form cefoperazone/sulbactam and ampicillin/sulbactam. It does possess
some antibacterial activity when administered alone, but it is too weak to have
any clinical importance. Its use in the UK is restricted to hospitals.
