Description
Cefotaxime (Sodium), USP Grade is a third-generation cephalosporin antibiotic widely used in microbiology, plant transformation, and antimicrobial susceptibility research. Cefotaxime exhibits broad-spectrum antibacterial activity against many gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria by disrupting bacterial cell wall synthesis through inhibition of penicillin-binding proteins (PBPs). This interference prevents proper peptidoglycan cross-linking, leading to weakened bacterial cell walls and eventual cytolysis.
Unlike many earlier β-lactam antibiotics, cefotaxime demonstrates improved resistance to certain β-lactamases, making it valuable in bacterial selection and elimination studies. GoldBio’s product page specifically notes its common use in Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated plant transformations, where cefotaxime is frequently used to suppress residual Agrobacterium growth following gene transfer procedures. The product has also been shown to exhibit synergistic effects with vancomycin under certain experimental conditions.
Cefotaxime is routinely incorporated into antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST), including disk diffusion assays, MIC determination methods, and bacterial resistance studies.
TESTED AGAINST BOTH SENSITIVE AND RESISTANT CELLS AT GOLD BIOTECHNOLOGY LABS
Mechanism:
Cefotaxime belongs to the β-lactam class of cephalosporin antibiotics. Its β-lactam ring binds to bacterial penicillin-binding proteins (PBPs), which are enzymes involved in peptidoglycan synthesis and bacterial cell wall construction. Inhibition of PBPs prevents proper cross-linking of peptidoglycan strands, resulting in structural instability of the bacterial cell wall. As osmotic pressure increases, bacterial cells undergo lysis and death. Cefotaxime’s cephalosporin structure also provides improved stability against some β-lactamases compared to many penicillin-based antibiotics.
Common Applications:
(Click each for more information)
Agrobacterium tumefaciens-Mediated Plant Transformation
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Purpose: To suppress residual Agrobacterium growth following plant transformation procedures.
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How It Works: Cefotaxime inhibits bacterial cell wall synthesis, reducing Agrobacterium proliferation after DNA transfer to plant tissue.
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Applications: Plant genetic engineering, tissue culture transformation systems, and transgenic plant selection.
Flowers, J. L., & Vaillancourt, L. J. (2005). Parameters affecting the efficiency of Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation of Colletotrichum graminicola. Current Genetics, 48(6), 380–388.
Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing (AST)
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Purpose: To evaluate bacterial susceptibility or resistance to cefotaxime and related antibiotics.
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How It Works: Cefotaxime is incorporated into disk diffusion, MIC, or panel-based assays to assess bacterial growth inhibition.
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Applications: Clinical microbiology research, resistance profiling, and comparative antibiotic studies.
Reller, L. B., Weinstein, M., Jorgensen, J. H., & Ferraro, M. J. (2009). Antimicrobial susceptibility testing: A review of general principles and contemporary practices. Clinical Infectious Diseases, 49(11), 1749–1755.
β-Lactam Antibiotic Resistance Research
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Purpose: To investigate mechanisms of bacterial resistance to cephalosporin antibiotics.
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How It Works: Researchers evaluate bacterial responses to cefotaxime exposure to study β-lactamase activity and resistance pathways.
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Applications: Antibiotic resistance studies, β-lactamase characterization, and bacterial genetics research.
Bush, K., & Jacoby, G. A. (2010). Updated functional classification of β-lactamases. Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, 54(3), 969–976.
Synergy Studies with Other Antibiotics
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Purpose: To evaluate enhanced antibacterial activity when cefotaxime is combined with additional antibiotics.
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How It Works: Combination studies assess whether cefotaxime exhibits synergistic bacterial inhibition with other antimicrobial compounds.
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Applications: Combination antibiotic research, resistance suppression studies, and microbiological assay development.
Tamma, P. D., Cosgrove, S. E., & Maragakis, L. L. (2012). Combination therapy for treatment of infections with gram-negative bacteria. Clinical Microbiology Reviews, 25(3), 450–470.
Key Benefits:
- Broad-spectrum cephalosporin antibiotic active against many gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria.
- Frequently used to eliminate Agrobacterium following plant transformation experiments.
- Less susceptible to certain β-lactamases than many penicillin antibiotics.
- Compatible with antimicrobial susceptibility testing methods including disk diffusion and MIC assays.
- USP-grade material supports reproducibility in microbiology and molecular biology research.
Storage/Handling:
Store desiccated at -20°C. Soluble in water.
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