Mechanism of antibacterial and degradation behavior of a chlorinated isoxazolylnaphthoquinone.

The chemical stability of 3-chloro-2-hydroxy-(3, 4-dimethyl-5-isoxazolyl)-1,4-naphthoquinon-4-imine (ClQ(1)), a new potential antimicrobial agent was analyzed at different pH values by first-derivative spectroscopy. The degradation of ClQ(1) followed a pseudo-first-order kinetics in aqueous media at different pH values. The interaction of antibiotics with respiratory chain of Staphylococcus aureus generates superoxide anion, an oxygen radical capable of producing damage to the bacteria. The performed assays have demonstrated that ClQ(1) presents higher activity and toxic oxidant generation at pH 5.0 than at pH 7.5. In addition, the antibacterial activity of other halogenated isoxazolylnaphthoquinones was also studied in different collection and clinical strains which presented the following decreasing activity, ClQ(1) > BrQ(1) > DClQ(1) whereas DBrQ(1) did not show inhibition properties. The antibacterial and stability properties evidenced by ClQ(1) are so important that must be taken into account when new alternative treatments against beta-lactamase-positive S. aureus strains are investigated.

Second-derivative UV spectrophotometric assay for determining the degradation kinetics of 3-bromo-N-bromo-N-(3,4-dimethyl-5-isoxazolyl-4-amine)-1,2-naphthoquinone.

The application of the second-derivative UV spectrophotometry for determining the stability of 3-bromo-N-bromo-N-(3,4-dimethyl-5-isoxazolyl-4-amine)-1,2-naphthoquinone in ethanolic solutions is described. The validity of this method was evaluated using synthetic mixtures of the intact drug and its degradation products and by statistical analysis of the calibration data. In order to verify the usefulness of this method for stability studies, recovery experiments by the standard addition method were also carried out.

Stability determination of 3-bromo-2-hydroxy-N-(3,4-dimethyl-5-isoxazolyl)- 1,4-naphthoquinon-4-imine in ethanol by first-derivative spectrophotometry.

The degradation kinetics of a new potential tripanocidal and antibacterial agent, 3-bromo-2-hydroxy-N-(3,4-dimethyl-5-isoxazolyl)-1,4- naphthoquinon-4-imine (2), in 95% ethanol, was investigated between 35 and 50 degrees C under room-light and light-protected conditions. The decomposition product was isolated and identified as 2-hydroxy-N-(3,4-dimethyl- 5-isoxazolyl)-1,4-naphthoquinon-4-imine (1). A simple, rapid, and stability-indicating method for the determination of 2 in the presence of 1 using "zero crossing" first-derivative spectrophotometry is reported. The validity of this method was proved using synthetic mixtures of the intact drug with its decomposition product and by statistical analysis of the calibration data. Pseudo-first-order constants for the degradation reaction of 2, obtained from linear plots of the residual concentration logarithms vs time, the calculated activation parameters Ea, delta H not equal to, and delta S not equal to were similar under room-light and light-protected conditions. The in vitro antibacterial activity of 2 was also evaluated.