60CO-irradiation as an alternate method for sterilization of Penicillin G, neomycin, novobiocin, and dihydrostreptomycin

Article abstract of DOI:10.1002/jps.2600720106

The effects of the use of ⁶⁰Co-irradiation to sterilize antibiotics were evaluated. The antibiotic powders were only occasionally contaminated with microorganisms. The D-values of the products and environmental isolates were 0.028, 0.027, 0.015, 0.046, 0.15, 0.018, and 0.19 Mrads for Aspergillus species (UC 7297, 7298), A. fumigatus (UC 7299), Rhodotorula species (UC 7300), Penicillium oxalicum (UC 7269), Pseudomonas maltophilia (UC 6855), and a biological indicator microorganism, Bacillus pumilus spores (ATCC 27142). An irradiation dose of 1.14 Mrads, therefore, was sufficient to achieve a six-log cycle destruction of B. pumilus spores. Based on the bioburden data, a minimum irradiation dose of 1.05 Mrads was calculated to be sufficient to obtain a 10^-6 probability of sterilizing the most radioresistant isolate, Pen. oxalicum. To determine the radiolytic degradation scheme and the stability of the antibiotics following irradiation, high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) methods were developed. The resulting rates of degradation for the antibiotics were 0.6, 1.2, 2.3, and 0.95%/Mrad for penicillin G, neomycin, novobiocin, and dihydrostreptomycin, respectively. Furthermore, radiolytic degradation pathways for the antibiotics were identified and found to be similar to those commonly encountered when antibiotics are subjected to acidic, basic, hydrolytic, or oxidative treatments. No radiolytic compounds unique to ⁶⁰Co-irradiation were found.