Aminoglycoside antibiotics. 6. Chemical reactions of aminoglycosides with disodium carbenicillin.

Aminoglycoside antibiotics including kanamycin A, tobramycin, and the gentamicin C complex reacted with 1 mol of disodium carbenicillin to give products derived from acylation of their amino groups by the beta-lactam function of the carbenicillin. Amikacin was acylated by two carbenicillin units. Chromatographic analysis of fragments from the acid hydrolysis of these derivatives showed that the preferred site of acylation was in the 2-deoxystreptamine unit of the aminoglycosides. The two sites of acylation in amikacin were the 6'-amino group and the amino group in the aminohydroxybutyryl substituent. The derivatives had almost no antibacterial activity, and they were not toxic.