Abstract
Pivaloyloxymethyl ester of piperacillin was synthesized by reacting sodium piperacillin with chloromethyl pivalate, and its chemical structure was determined by infrared and $^1H$ nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopic methods. The pharmaceutical properties of the ester were investigated to assess its potential as a novel prodrug of piperacillin. The interface transfer of piperacillin and the ester was studied in a two-phase in vitro system composed of aqueous pH buffers and n-octanol. The ester was more lipophilic, and less water soluble above pH 4.0 than piperacillin. Significant antibacterial activity was not observed in the ester in vitro, but the ester was hydrolyzed into the parent drug in the rat liver homogenate. The serum levels of orally administered ester suspension containing 0.1% Tween 80 were measured in rabbits. It was found that the ester showed higher blood level, comparing with no observation of piperacillin in serum, but the time reaching the maximum serum concentration was 5 hr.