Research on the chemical inactivation of antibiotic activity in assays of sterility and contamination of pharmaceuticals.

Membrane filtration, frequently used for removing antibacterial activity in assays of sterility and contamination of the antibiotics, presents the drawback of adsorption of antibiotic to membrane. The washing with large volumes of peptone water removes partially interferences with microbial growth. We evaluated the inactivating action of some chemical substances (albumin, calcium pantothenate, heparin, hydroxylamine, tri-valent iron) on the antimicrobial activity of membranes employed for antibiotic filtration. The results are not positive for the use of chemical substances in the antibiotic activity neutralization. In fact the per cent reduction of inhibition zones ranges from -61.5% to +20.0% and the inhibiting activity on the growth of colony forming units (CFU) oscillates from 89.6% to 100%. Discovery of new neutralizing substances and severe measures of asepsis in pharmaceutical production are recommended.