Effects of various cephem antibiotics on ethanol metabolism and their structure‐activity relations

The effects of various cephem antibiotics and related compounds on ethanol metabolism were studied in association with their chemical structures. In rats, cefoperazone, cefbuperazone, cefamandole, latamoxef, cefmetazole, cefotetan, cefmenoxime and cefminox which have the [(1‐methyl‐1H‐tetrazol‐5‐yl) thio] methyl group at position 3 of the cephem ring caused a significant increase in the blood acetaldehyde concentration. In the last three compounds, disulfiram‐like activity was less potent than that evaluated in the preceding compounds. Cefazolin and ceftezole having a 1H‐tetrazol group at position 7 also showed a disulfiram‐like activity. A single administration of 1H‐tetrazol also increased the blood acetaldehyde concentration. Both blood ethanol and acetaldehyde values were increased significantly on administration of these drugs. In beagle dogs, cefoperazone induced a less remarkable but much more sustained increase in the blood acetaldehyde. These results indicate that the 1H‐tetrazol group, as well as the [(1‐methyl‐1H‐tetrazol‐5‐yl) thio] methyl group, is responsible for inducing a disulfiram‐like action and that there is a difference in the potency of the disulfiram‐like activity among the drugs having a [(1‐methyl‐1H‐tetrazol‐5‐yl)thio] methyl group at position 3 of the cephem ring in relation to those in which the side chain is substituted at position 7.