Skip to Content
Merck
All Photos(1)

Key Documents

Safety Information

1242000

USP

Erythromycin

United States Pharmacopeia (USP) Reference Standard

Sign Into View Organizational & Contract Pricing


About This Item

Empirical Formula (Hill Notation):
C37H67NO13
CAS Number:
Molecular Weight:
733.93
Beilstein:
75279
MDL number:
UNSPSC Code:
41116107
PubChem Substance ID:
NACRES:
NA.24

grade

pharmaceutical primary standard

API family

erythromycin

manufacturer/tradename

USP

application(s)

pharmaceutical (small molecule)

format

neat

storage temp.

−20°C

SMILES string

CC[C@H]1OC(=O)[C@H](C)[C@@H](O[C@H]2C[C@@](C)(OC)[C@@H](O)[C@H](C)O2)[C@H](C)[C@@H](O[C@@H]3O[C@H](C)C[C@@H]([C@H]3O)N(C)C)[C@](C)(O)C[C@@H](C)C(=O)[C@H](C)[C@@H](O)[C@]1(C)O

InChI

1S/C37H67NO13/c1-14-25-37(10,45)30(41)20(4)27(39)18(2)16-35(8,44)32(51-34-28(40)24(38(11)12)15-19(3)47-34)21(5)29(22(6)33(43)49-25)50-26-17-36(9,46-13)31(42)23(7)48-26/h18-26,28-32,34,40-42,44-45H,14-17H2,1-13H3/t18-,19-,20+,21+,22-,23+,24+,25-,26+,28-,29+,30-,31+,32-,34+,35-,36-,37-/m1/s1

InChI key

ULGZDMOVFRHVEP-RWJQBGPGSA-N

Looking for similar products? Visit Product Comparison Guide

General description

Erythromycin is an antibiotic produced by growth of certain strains of Streptomyces erythreus. Erythromycin, a bacteriostatic antibiotic, inhibits the growth of bacteria instead of killing them directly. It functions as a cytochrome P-450 inhibitor and is primarily excreted through bile. Erythromycin consists primarily of erythromycin A (C37H67NO13). The sum of the percentages of erythromycin A, erythromycin B, and erythromycin C is NLT 85.0% and NMT 100.5%, calculated on the anhydrous basis. Erythromycin demonstrates activity against both gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria, as well as other organisms. Erythromycin has been used as a motilin receptor agonist, to block respiratory glycoconjugate secretion in human airways in vitro, and for selecting plasmid-cured and recombinant lactococcus lactis MG1363 strains.

Erythromycin USP reference standard is provided as delivered and specified by the issuing Pharmacopoeia. All information provided in support of this product, including MSDS and any product information leaflets, have been developed and issued under the Authority of the issuing Pharmacopoeia. For further information and support please go to the website of the issuing Pharmacopoeia.

Application

Erythromycin USP reference standard, intended for use in specified quality tests and assays as specified in the USP compendia. Also, for use with USP monographs such as:
  • Erythromycin Stearate
  • Erythromycin Ethylsuccinate
  • Erythromycin Lactobionate for Injection
  • Erythromycin Ointment
  • Erythromycin Pledgets
  • Erythromycin Injection

Biochem/physiol Actions

Mode of Action: Erythromycin acts by inhibiting elongation at the transpeptidation step, specifically aminoacyl translocation from the A-site to P-site by binding to the 50s subunit of the bacterial 70s rRNA complex.

Antimicrobial Spectrum: This product acts against both gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria.

Caution

This product is stable in solution at 37°C for 3 days. Stock solutions should be stored at 2-8°C.

Preparation Note

This product is soluble in water at 2 mg/mL, with a 0.067% solution in water yielding a pH of 8.0-10.5. It is also soluble in ethanol at 50 mg/mL, yielding a clear, colorless to faint yellow solution. It is freely soluble in alcohol, acetone, chloroform, acetonitrile and ethyl acetate but forms salts with acids. All solutions should be protected from light.

Other Notes

This product is part of the USP Biologics program.

Legal Information

This product is provided as delivered and specified by the issuing Pharmacopoeia. All information provided in support of this product, including SDS and any product information leaflets have been developed and issued under the Authority of the issuing Pharmacopoeia.For further information and support please go to the website of the issuing Pharmacopoeia.

related product

Product No.
Description
Pricing

Storage Class Code

11 - Combustible Solids

WGK

WGK 3

Flash Point(F)

Not applicable

Flash Point(C)

Not applicable


Regulatory Listings

Regulatory Listings are mainly provided for chemical products. Only limited information can be provided here for non-chemical products. No entry means none of the components are listed. It is the user’s obligation to ensure the safe and legal use of the product.

JAN Code

1242000-250MG:


Certificates of Analysis (COA)

Search for Certificates of Analysis (COA) by entering the products Lot/Batch Number. Lot and Batch Numbers can be found on a product’s label following the words ‘Lot’ or ‘Batch’.

Already Own This Product?

Find documentation for the products that you have recently purchased in the Document Library.

Visit the Document Library

Marina Mingoia et al.
Antimicrobial agents and chemotherapy, 58(10), 5886-5893 (2014-07-30)
The linkage between the macrolide efflux gene mef(I) and the chloramphenicol inactivation gene catQ was first described in Streptococcus pneumoniae (strain Spn529), where the two genes are located in a module designated IQ element. Subsequently, two different defective IQ elements
Eugene Ng et al.
The Cochrane database of systematic reviews, (3)(3), CD001815-CD001815 (2008-07-23)
Functional immaturity of gastrointestinal motility predisposes preterm infants to feeding intolerance. Erythromycin is a motilin agonist that exerts its prokinetic effect by stimulating propagative contractile activity in the interdigestive phase. To evaluate the efficacy of erythromycin in the prevention and
Hanne Jensen et al.
Microbiology (Reading, England), 160(Pt 4), 671-681 (2014-01-30)
Lactobacillus reuteri, a symbiotic inhabitant of the gastrointestinal tract in humans and animals, is marketed as a probiotic. The ability to adhere to intestinal epithelial cells and mucus is an interesting property with regard to probiotic features such as colonization
J A Washington et al.
Mayo Clinic proceedings, 60(4), 271-278 (1985-04-01)
Erythromycin, first introduced for clinical use 30 years ago, was found to be effective for the treatment of gram-positive bacterial infections. Emergence of resistance and the advent of penicillinase-resistant penicillins limited the use of erythromycin for serious staphylococcal infections; however
Catherine V Hawkyard et al.
The Journal of antimicrobial chemotherapy, 59(3), 347-358 (2007-02-10)
Erythromycin A, the first macrolide, was introduced in the 1950s and after years of clinical experience it still remains a commonly relied upon antibiotic. In the past, pharmacodynamic characteristics of macrolides beyond antimicrobial action such as anti-inflammatory and immune-modulating properties

Our team of scientists has experience in all areas of research including Life Science, Material Science, Chemical Synthesis, Chromatography, Analytical and many others.

Contact Technical Service